Small white patch in mouth?

Question:

I have been a one-pack-a-day smoker since I was 18. I'm 22 right now, and I quit two months ago. I started noticing a very tiny white mark (maybe a little over 1 mm) on the side of my cheek just a few days ago. I went to the dentist last week and he said that everything was fine. Is it likely that it can be oral cancer? Can I get it at my age and with my history of smoking, even though it was for a relatively short period and I recently quit? There is no history of oral cancer in my family and I rarely drink alcohol. Also, how quickly do cancerous patches in the mouth grow? I bite my cheek a lot so I'm hoping that it could just be from that.

Answers:
Congratulations on stopping smoking!! :-) That's a huge achievement.

I liked the comments from 8_a_Canary, encouraging you to go to regular doctor as well as dental follow-ups. May need to find out why you are biting your cheek a lot (I did a lot while I was wearing braces and for awhile after that, as I got used to different teeth shape etc.)??

With cankor sores, they are usually white with like a ring, and there are all kinds of home remedies around but the thing that works best for me is to get some supplements from the health food store L-Lysine - really improves it after a few days. Also taking some extra zinc seems to help with that.

I've never had thrush - I understand it is a type of yeast infection and the best deal on that is to cut down or quit on the amount of white sugar - which is next to impossible with all the processed foods. There are also a lot of alternative therapies around for yeast type infections but generally dietary improvements help there.

All of this I'm writing is like spitting in the wind since I'm not a doctor and I can't see what your white mark looks like... so do try to stop biting the cheek (may be a nervous thing recovering from smoking habits - I never smoked in my life but was always empathetic to others who did, since I have my own bad health habits so I can't "throw stones".); do go to the regular doctor to see what the say; do research on oral cancers on other websites;

oh and I was going to mention - I understand from friends who have quit smoking, it takes a while, sometimes a year or more, to fully "detox" poisons in your body that came in when you smoked, so the white mark in your mouth may be a manifestation of that process, where stuff is trying to come out of the mouth from where the cigarettes used to be up against, or the smoke itself would touch the inside of your mouth?? It's a thought.

But keep up the good work and hang in there with not quitting - maybe check some of the support websites for those who did quit smoking - they may have ideas too.

its some kind of mouth cancer... starts with an "L"...
i forgot what it was called though.

I could be a canker sore. Does it hurt?

Scar tissue from biting your cheek does go white, thrush is a yeast infection of the mouth and is white and patchy. If you are concerned, check it out with your regular doctor, and monitor it carefully. Hopefully your dentist is up to date on early signs of oral cancer, they have the first opportunity to spot problems, but you only really see them once or twice a year. If you have a symptom that is abnormal, there is nothing wrong with bringing your doctor's attention to it if only to start a case file on it. Good luck!

Small white patch in mouth?

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