A woman from California has been left toothless and couldn’t open her mouth after her dentist dismissed a toothache which turned out to be cancer.
The 28-year-old woman Nicole Kowalski needed to undergo facial procedures as she battles salivary gland cancer in 201, according to the Daily Mail UK.
She had been complaining on her jaw being painful, but her dentist thought it was a normal toothache.
An x-ray was conducted and found that there was tumor on her jaw. The tumor was later on found to be cancerous.
She also suffered lockjaw (trismus) which means that she can only open her mouth very little.
“It started with a toothache. The dentist told me it was nothing to worry about but over the next six months, the pain increased and spread to my jaw and face,” Nicole recalled.
“It was so intense that I couldn’t sleep. Eventually after a few trips to the doctors, an x-ray at the dentists revealed some bone loss,” she added.
After several visits and x-rays her doctor finally saw the tumor on her jaw. She underwent operation.
However, in 2019, pain persisted and doctors noticed a shift in the positioning of her teeth. Last December, it was found that the cancer had returned and Nicole’s jaw-bone was dying.
Her hard and soft palates were removed during an operation as well as another seven teeth including Nicole’s front teeth. She also underwent a further 30 days of radiation treatment to treat the cancer recurrence.
Now her life is back on track. She said cancer runs in her family but didn’t realize that she would get it at a young age.
