Hello,

In late November I noticed a small bump on my gum just above an implant (I was born with out that tooth). It was the #7 tooth. It was painless, hard, and small, and looked sort of like a little white head. Fearing cancer of some kind, I went to see an oral surgeon. He took an X-ray, said it definitely wasn't cancer, but that the implant was loose and therefore probably infected. The bump was most likely an abscess caused by an infection under the implant.

Long story short, I had the implant removed in mid-December. The doctor also did a bone graft. I healed well afterwards, and all appeared to be well. Then, about two weeks following the surgery, I noticed another lump forming above the adjacent tooth, I believe it's the canine. This lump is also painless, but is significantly bigger and sort of feels like it's "under" the gums, as opposed to growing out of the gums. It doesn't seem to be discolored, but since it's on the edge of where I had sutures it's hard to tell for sure.

It has now been about two weeks since I first noticed the lump, and it hasn't gone away. Should I be concerned, or could this be a benign bi-product of the surgery/bone graft? I'm a little perplexed by the whole situation. My oral hygiene is good, so I don't know how I could get an infection above a perfectly healthy tooth right after I had surgery to take care of the other infection. This fact has me once again concerned about cancer.

Circumstances in my career right now make it very difficult for me to see a dentist.