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Noticed Purple Coloring Inside Cheek And On Roof Of Mouth. Could That Be Due To Heavy Smoking, Heavy Drinking Or Poor Oral Health?

Posted on Fri, 21 Jun 2013

Question: i've noticed a purple vein on the inside of my cheek. and also on the roof of my mouth i notice on the right and left side some purple coloring, almost looks like purple veiny, or maybe just purple coloring, it's hard to tell, not swollen or painful. could that be from the years of heavy smoking, heavy drinking and poor oral health or something worse like something chronic and deadly? or could that be something normal. and if you could answer asap i'd really appreciate it cause i'm imagining the worst like hiv and can't sleep. i haven't heard of anyone i've been with being diagnosed w/ that but who knows.

i know it's hard to tell from a pic but i'm adding one. in the pic it looks like a solid purple where the arrows are but from looking at it in the mirror, it could almost look veiny or maybe it is purple, i don't really know.

WWW.WWWW.WW

Answered by Dr. Neha Sumra (1 hour later)

Hi

Thanks for writing in.

Vein carry deoxygenated blood; hence they appear dark bluish / purple in colour. Though the picture is not clear, from what I see it looks like the area reveals plenty of venous prominence. Such venous prominence are seen in smokers. Therefore I suggest you to quit smoking before it leads to any further complication.

I also encourage you to visit your dentist and go for a thorough clinical examination. A direct examination under lights can provide more clues / signs which are unclear on this picture - those might help your doctor to consider other possibilities.

I hope this information is useful. Let me know if you need clarifications.

Regards
Dr. Neha Sumra

Note: Find out which dental treatment will work best for your teeth. Ask here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad