There's this white spot in my mouth but it doesn't hurt.

This patient came in for an exam after not being to the dentist for over 5 years.  He noticed this white spot on his gums by the lower teeth.  It did not hurt at all but he wanted to know what it was.  If you notice he also has cavities (as indicated by the brown spots) and a missing tooth.

This area was biopsied and came back from the lab as Mild Epithelial Dysplasia.  He was advised to stop alcohol intake and tobacco use.  These altered epithelial lesions have an increased likelihood of progressing to squamous cell carcinoma.  Please note that this white spot could only be identified through a biopsy.  This means the white area was surgically removed and sent to a pathology laboratory for analysis.