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Hard Palate Irritation, Stinging, Raised Area. What Should I Do Next?
Posted on
Mon, 3 Sep 2012
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Mon, 3 Sep 2012
Answered on
Sun, 7 Oct 2012
Last reviewed on
Question : Hello, I have an irritation on my right hard palate. 12 weeks ago I felt like I had something stuck like popcorn or maybe I cut the area while eating. When I pass my tongue over the area I can feel the tissue is slightly irregular. I can see it with a mirror and is very small. Went to see an oral surgeon who thought it was an inflamed salivary gland. Thought it was nothing to worry about and could biopsy it for my piece of mind if it does not get better. It was still bothering me a few weeks later so I went back to the same oral surgeon. this time he could not see anything. Went to another O.S. 2 weeks later he could not see anything that looked deferent in that area. 3 weeks later its still bothering me and I get this minor stinging sensation sometimes when I touch it with my tongue and sometimes I will feel a minor stinging sensation for no apparent reason. and sometime it will sting when I talk. When I look with a mirror I can see a slightly raised area where the stinging sensation is coming from. It’s very annoying. Any Ideas or what should I do next?
Thanks XXXXXXX
Optional Information:
Person's Gender: Male
Person's Age: 54
Thanks XXXXXXX
Optional Information:
Person's Gender: Male
Person's Age: 54
Hello and thanks for submitting your question.
It sounds very unlikely that this is any type of cancer or anything life threatening.
I know you want to understand what it is however. My thinking is that this is some type of inflammatory reaction going on. These usually will heal in a couple of months at most. I suspect the area may have been traumatized by food you have chewed over the past few weeks.
If the surgeons see nothing to biopsy then I suggest you wait a few more weeks for a reassessment. One other thing you could do is have a dentist perform a Vizilite screen in your mouth. This is a very easy test done with a special light looking at the soft surface mucosa in your mouth for any abnormalities. If it shows changes in the area you have described then they could investigate further.
Lastly I suggest you start taking ibuprofen 400 mg 3 times per day for 10 days. This will help to minimize inflammation and possibly may help this area resolve.
Again I want to reassure you that this seems like a benign issue and should resolve over some more time.
Thanks again and let me know if you have any additional followup concerns.
Sincerely,
Dr Robert
It sounds very unlikely that this is any type of cancer or anything life threatening.
I know you want to understand what it is however. My thinking is that this is some type of inflammatory reaction going on. These usually will heal in a couple of months at most. I suspect the area may have been traumatized by food you have chewed over the past few weeks.
If the surgeons see nothing to biopsy then I suggest you wait a few more weeks for a reassessment. One other thing you could do is have a dentist perform a Vizilite screen in your mouth. This is a very easy test done with a special light looking at the soft surface mucosa in your mouth for any abnormalities. If it shows changes in the area you have described then they could investigate further.
Lastly I suggest you start taking ibuprofen 400 mg 3 times per day for 10 days. This will help to minimize inflammation and possibly may help this area resolve.
Again I want to reassure you that this seems like a benign issue and should resolve over some more time.
Thanks again and let me know if you have any additional followup concerns.
Sincerely,
Dr Robert
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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