Im a healthy non-smoking 31 year old male.  I had a tongue ulcer on the side of my tongue for over a month, and its affecting my eating and swallowing a bit.  I went to a dentist who gave me an antibiotic mouth wash and told me to come back in another month.  I cancelled my appointment because I was away travelling for work.  I just got back and called to reschedule my appointment, but they say theyre busy and Ill have to wait until Friday.  My mouth hurts, and though I know Im not in a high-risk category its raised around the edges in a way that looks like photos I see online of oral cancer.  It hasnt changed much in these past two months but its making me anxious and its very annoying.Was a dentist even the right person to go to?  Im not sure if Im supposed to go to a dentist or doctor for this kind of thing, and should I just make a doctor appointment instead since my dentist is busy?
Hello! Thank you for posting here. Visual inspection cannot be the criteria for oral cancer. Do not panic.Long-standing ulcers can be due to other health concerns like Beh\u00e7et, lichenplanus, apthous etc. Maintain good oral hygiene. Consider if you have a sharp tooth hurting the tongue. In that case, the tooth must be rounded. Use baking soda or tetracycline mouth wash. Get complete scaling done. Your dentist might consider topical steroid ointment in severe case. A biopsy must be done if it persists longer than 2 months. You must see an oral surgeon to get the biopsy done. Hope this helps.