I have used chewing tobacco on and off for the last two years.....?!

I have used chewing tobacco on and off for the last two years.....?

I am having a hard time understanding the difference between normal lumps in the soft tissue on the inside of the gums, and what are called precancerous lessions. The soft tissue has lumps by nature. How do I know the difference? I have stopped the chew, but I want to make sure that I don't have any potential problems. I have been to the websites, but they are not very clear on what I should look for.

The lumps and bumbs you are feeling are nodes and vessels that are normal to your cheeks. I'm very happy to hear you have stopped dipping. It is 3-4 times harder to stop chewing tobacco then it is to stop smoking due to the amount of nicotine in smokeless tobacco. The precancerous lesions I normally see with dippers is the tissue on the inside of your cheek or along the outer gum surrounding the teeth will be wrinkly or gray or white or even red. It just looks like the tissue is dying in some ways. If you stop the irritation to the tissue it usually only takes a few weeks to start healing and looking healthy again. This is of course if it did not completely turn into cancer. Have your dentist look at the area to reassure yourself, and keep up the good work of not dipping.