Oral cancer scare

jazzlover · Dec 29, 2013

On Thursday I noticed four white lesions on my tongue and I got REALLY scared so I've stopped smoking, at least for the time being. The lesions seem to be slowly fading so I assume that means they're not cancerous but I'm not taking any chances. I'm going to schedule a dental appointment next month for a thorough cancer screening. Have any of you dealt with this? If so, what did you do? Is there a "safe" number of times to smoke per week without getting cancer?

woodsroad · Dec 29, 2013

There is very little datta available on pipe and cigar use. The big money for researchers is in cigarette studies. Most studies of pipe smoking, in fact, include people who either have, or still do, smoke cigarettes.
There is no such thing as "safe"

crazypipe · Dec 29, 2013

Maybe smoking a pipe or anything to do with tobacco is not for you : puffy

:

gray4lines · Dec 29, 2013

Some people will never smoke anything and will get oral or lung cancer. Others can smoke 7 pipes/packs/cigars a day and live to be 102. Just know the risk that smoking pipes poses, get regular check ups and take care of yourself.
Could just be irritation. Definitely ask when you go.

mso489 · Dec 29, 2013

Don't do anything that causes you gratuitous anxiety, because that may cause a health problem if the

activity doesn't. Most of us like some stress and anxiety, like watching sports. A few people have heart

attacks when their teams lose (or win); probably some people who might get stressed skip the sports TV,

wisely.

grrrrr609 · Dec 30, 2013

I get whats called ulcers, (canker sores) on my tongue. Doesnt happen often but most often its caused by acidic foods. Not knowing what ur lesions look like i couldnt be sure that they are ulcers but ulcers usually last several days and slowly fade away. As a kid i use to get them on my gums and i would rub alum on them and they would disappear in a day or so.

metalheadycigarguy · Dec 30, 2013

I've got a white spot or two on my tongue before, but they ended up being a canker sore. Unfortunately, I get canker sores to often as they hurt and take several days to a week to heal. If I have a canker sore then I don't smoke until the sore has healed up.

kalvort · Dec 30, 2013

White spots are usually due to a fungal infection. Don't worry as it is very common in children and adults, but still get it checked out. I think they will prescribe you an anti fungal gel that you place in your mouth for a few minutes then swallow it. Good luck!

phred · Dec 30, 2013

I've had canker sores in the past - they definitely look like lesions, though I usually got them on the inside of the lip or on the gums, rather than on the tongue. I've also had swollen taste buds, which just look like swollen taste buds, but they hurt, too.
Probably not a bad idea to lay off smoking while they heal up, but neither are necessarily an indicator of cancer. Your doctor would be better able to determine this than random people on the internet, however...
The studies out there that do focus on pipe smoking indicate an elevated risk of oral cancer, esophageal cancer, and tongue cancer - the only way to entirely eliminate the risks associated with smoking is not to smoke.

yeperdo · Dec 30, 2013

First thing good idea see a doc. For me I have a large tongue and have a condition called geographic tongue. So I get white spots and irritation on my tongue. Things that really irritate it sugar free gum, dry weather. Tobaccos that get my tongue straight Virginians which I love and some aromatics that are lighter in casing. For some reason English or Oriental blends do not irritate it. So I practice moderation with my Virginian, use humidifier to put some moisture in the air and rinse my mouth with biotene (good oral rinse). If I do those things I am a very happy pipe smoking guy! Good luck my friend!

taerin · Dec 30, 2013

If I smoke too much, I can develop white sores from the chemical burns, I once gasped and thought it could be cancer, until I figured out what was causing it. I learned how not to burn myself anymore, by avoiding the blends that did it and giving myself resting time between smokes when my mouth felt a little rough or sore, or if I experienced tongue bite during a smoke. Rushing over to the dentist is probably just a waste of time and money, I would just go twice a year and have him check for that stuff on the normal visit. I know pipe smokers that are so concerned, they go 4 times a year on checkups, just to make sure if they got mouth cancer, that it would be detected as early as possible.

drcastillo · Dec 30, 2013

Im physician , Internal Medicine Specialist and Mexican too , so please forgive my grammar.

cancer is a multifactorial disease. i mean , there are involved genetic, enviroment, infections, ethnic and a lot of undiscovered pathways on the cell mechanism and another well Knowed.

also the risk factors be involved on the pathophysiology of cancer like modified the celular response with a recurrent stimuli like toxic exposure, smoke (smoking - heat), condiment spicy foods, reflux disease, infections.

any oral lesion have to be evaluated by and expert, and the gold standar method for the early detection and diagnosis is the biopsy.

my point is that not only smoking pipes become to an oral cancer patient for sure, is a risk factor but not the only one.

gray4lines · Dec 31, 2013

For me I have a large tongue and have a condition called geographic tongue. So I get white spots and irritation on my tongue.

Hey, I have that too! I never thought about how certain tobaccos may affect it. I typically do not have irritation, but do have spots that move around. Virginia's always make my tongue sore, but they are my favorite. I always thought I was just smoking fast... Hmm...

smokertruck · Dec 31, 2013

since we are kind of on the subject - i go to a dental hygienist to have my teeth scaled 4 times a year ( not just twice as recommended by dentists ) as the tobacco stain assists the plaque in adhering to the teeth along the gum line - leading to all those bad things meant to scare you on the toothpaste commercials. - gee - i wonder what that whitening stuff does - no long term research results yet -( remember those leaking breast implants ) which us guys dont need to worry about
happy new year all

jazzlover · Dec 31, 2013

The lesions have only improved slightly over the past few days. I'm very scared. I can see that pipe smoking is not for me. Even if I don't have cancer, this is way too scary.

Perique · Dec 31, 2013

Jazzlover, you will be ok. Cancer isn't something one suddenly contracts. You're right in that pipe smoking probably isn't for you. But don't stress out about the cancer. Have a happy new year

jazzlover · Jan 1, 2014

Thanks for the supportive comments, guys. I appreciate it. Happy New Year to all of you.

shutterbugg · Jan 1, 2014

Oral cancer from pipe smoking takes years, even decades to develop from the time the person starts smoking. (Chewing tobacco stuffed in the lip or cheek can bring it on much more quickly). Typically those who get it have a history of continual smoking (as in, someone who smokes all day long) and tends to hold the pipe in his mouth in one or two comfortable places, which allows the hot smoke to hit the same spot on the tongue or lips. Many dentists have a screening device for oral cancer which can alert to it even before lesions are present.

drcastillo · Jan 1, 2014

Post a photo, it may help

jazzlover · Jan 1, 2014

Dr Castillo: I took some pics but my phone is a few years old and the pics it takes at close range are very blurry so posting them would be useless. I'm overdue for a dentist appointment so the smart thing for me to do is to ask him for a full oral cancer screening.

Oral cancer scare

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Site Sponsors

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Starting to Get Obsessed

Lifer

Lifer

Part of the Furniture Now

Lifer

Lurker

Lifer

Might Stick Around

Lifer

Lurker

Lifer

Lurker

Part of the Furniture Now

Can't Leave

Starting to Get Obsessed

Lifer

Starting to Get Obsessed

Lifer

Lurker

Starting to Get Obsessed