i have a hard bump in my mouth...

I'm fifteen years old and recently ive been using smokeless tobacco maybe once a day. I just noticed i have a small bb sized hard bump near my saliva gland and it got me worried. so i was wondering if its possible to develop a tumor or cancer that fast, or if mouth cancer even feels like that. so if you could give me an answer i would greatly appreciate it. thank you, ~Bradley

[Monica M, MD]

Hi,
It would be a good idea to get it checked by your doctor. In all likelihood it may turn out to be an infective or inflammatory lesion. But this should serve as a warning for you to stop tobacco consumption. Smokeless tobacco is associated with an increased risk of mouth cancer. It usually starts as a precancerous lesion in the form of leucoplakia (white patch) or sometimes erythroplakia (reddish patch). Cancer generally many years to develop but you need to develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
All the best!

[bradleyfried]

thank you for your help!