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Dental Health (Expert Forum)
Gum swelling + nonpainful swollen lymph nodes
Answered by
Private Practice
CA
Questions in the Dental Health forum are answered by Dr. Jerome Tsang and Dr. Jerome Bogin. Topics covered include bridges, cavities, crowns, and x-rays.
Gum swelling + nonpainful swollen lymph nodes
by roamingsick, Jun 27, 2009 03:12PM
I’ve got an issue that’s plagued me for a good 18 months. Multiple doctors and dentists haven’t been able to figure it out; in fact, no one can say for sure if it’s the problem is dental or more of an HENT issue.
The main problem is that I’ve got mild inflammation in and around the right lower-rear part of my mouth, right where my wisdom tooth was pulled from a good 15+ years ago. It stretches to the point where my gums meet my cheek. I wouldn’t describe the sensation as giving me “pain,” just irritation. It swells up ever-so-slightly – enough to rub on other parts of my mouth and feel sort of “raw,” but not enough to really notice on physical examination. Occasionally I also get a sore tongue too; the soreness seems to come from one or more of the big taste buds on the back of my tongue. (The seem to swell up a bit larger than usual).
My dentists have said they don’t see anything. Took some antibiotics once and it seemed to help a bit, but then the gum swelling just came back to normal after about 2 weeks.
After six months ago (a point where my gum/mouth had been swollen for about a year), I noticed that two of my submandibular lymph nodes were swollen. They aren’t huge, maybe 1 cm or 1.5 cm, but it’s hard to measure them because they’re sort of deep. They don’t really hurt, and I still have them to this day, which of course makes me concerned about lymphoma. But I’m not experienced enough to say if they’re “hard” or “rubbery” or “fixed” or all the other key descriptors. I swear that when I push on them, I feel a reaction in my swollen gums! It seems associated.
A GP has recently checked out the swollen nodes and said they were insignificant – too small and not very hard. That makes me feel somewhat better, but doesn’t change the fact that this 18-month-old problem is still there!
Any thoughts or theories appreciated! Thanks in advance.
The main problem is that I’ve got mild inflammation in and around the right lower-rear part of my mouth, right where my wisdom tooth was pulled from a good 15+ years ago. It stretches to the point where my gums meet my cheek. I wouldn’t describe the sensation as giving me “pain,” just irritation. It swells up ever-so-slightly – enough to rub on other parts of my mouth and feel sort of “raw,” but not enough to really notice on physical examination. Occasionally I also get a sore tongue too; the soreness seems to come from one or more of the big taste buds on the back of my tongue. (The seem to swell up a bit larger than usual).
My dentists have said they don’t see anything. Took some antibiotics once and it seemed to help a bit, but then the gum swelling just came back to normal after about 2 weeks.
After six months ago (a point where my gum/mouth had been swollen for about a year), I noticed that two of my submandibular lymph nodes were swollen. They aren’t huge, maybe 1 cm or 1.5 cm, but it’s hard to measure them because they’re sort of deep. They don’t really hurt, and I still have them to this day, which of course makes me concerned about lymphoma. But I’m not experienced enough to say if they’re “hard” or “rubbery” or “fixed” or all the other key descriptors. I swear that when I push on them, I feel a reaction in my swollen gums! It seems associated.
A GP has recently checked out the swollen nodes and said they were insignificant – too small and not very hard. That makes me feel somewhat better, but doesn’t change the fact that this 18-month-old problem is still there!
Any thoughts or theories appreciated! Thanks in advance.
Doctor's Answer
by Jerome Tsang, DDS, Jul 03, 2009 01:43AM
, Jul 03, 2009 01:43AMTo: roamingsick
If there is some swelling in the submandibular region and some discomfort, I would consider going to an oral surgeon for radiographs, exam and possible biopsy if necessary. Also, you may want to post this question in the Oral Maxillofacial Surgery section to see if the oral surgeon may have an idea or provide more guidance.
