'No pain, no symptoms. If it weren’t for my dentist, I’d be none the wiser.'

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Claire O'Connell had been putting off seeing her dentist for months. She knew she needed a filling, so she cancelled the appointment twice. 

In the middle of a home renovation — with three children and three dogs to care for — the Brisbane mum kept pushing it down the priority list. 

"I'm pretty lax with my health appointments," the 44-year-old told Mamamia.

"My husband kept saying I [couldn't] keep cancelling, [that] dental [was] in our healthcare, so I needed to do it."

It was this gentle persuasion to book her check-up that ended up saving Claire's life. 

Minutes into her August appointment, the diligent dentist asked; "So, how long have you had that ulcer under your tongue?"

Claire didn't know what she was talking about. "I didn't realise I had one."

Claire couldn't see or feel the sore her dentist was referring to. She asked for a mirror.

"I would never have seen it," Claire said. "It was underneath the back of my tongue. I'd have to pull my tongue out unnaturally to see it."

The dentist asked if it was painful. When Claire answered 'no', she was urged to get it checked.

At a specialist appointment, a doctor told Claire that the sore didn't look sinister, and gave her a cream to use for two weeks.

When the sore didn't go away, Claire returned and had a biopsy taken.

"The doctor showed me photos of tongue cancer, and said it didn't look anything like that," she said. "I'm thankful for the biopsy, because I got called back to his office a week later."

The phone call came during school drop-off. Claire's results were in, and she needed to see the doctor that morning. 

As soon as her kids — aged five, six and seven — were out of the car, Claire cried.

"I knew right away it wasn't good," she said. "I am a positive person, I don't spiral… So, it was a major shock to get that call."

In the doctor's office, with her husband by her side, Claire heard the word: 'cancer'. 

Watch: Claire discusses her cancer diagnosis. Article continues below.

"It was so surreal. I was across a honey-coloured desk, like you see in the movies, with two chairs and a box of tissues in between," she said. 

"It felt like I was watching myself from the outside… an out-of-body experience." 

At home after the appointment, Claire spent the day on the couch.

"I was a mess," she admitted. Still, she had pulled herself together by the time her kids walked in the door.

"All I could think about was my kids… I want to be here for them as long as I can." 

The next few days were a blur as Claire underwent scans and blood tests to confirm the cancer hadn't spread. After a week of waiting, she got the all-clear.

Claire needed surgery to have the sore removed, as well as 30 lymph nodes in her neck — an "insurance policy". It left her with a large wound that ran from her ear, along her neck, and up to her chin, and it was months before her speech returned to normal.

The hardest part of the week-long hospital stay, however, was being away from her children. Previously, Claire had never spent more than a night away from her children. 

"They're so young I didn't want to scare them… so we've kept it all very nonchalant and upbeat in our household," she said. 

In mid-September, weeks after the diagnosis, Claire was told her surgery was a success, with no cancer in her nodes. 

"My oncologist told me to get my dentist a bottle of wine for picking it up so early," she said. "I'm lucky, in a year… it would have been a very different treatment plan."

Claire has been sharing her cancer journey on social media, and describes it as a form of "therapy". 

Her video journaling has created new connections with strangers. Some have reached out with stories about relatives who are going through the same experience, while others have thanked her for raising awareness about health checks. 

"I thought cancer was a life sentence, but early detection is everything," she said. 

"You must look after yourself. Get your checks. Not all cancer has a symptom. I had no pain, if it hadn't been for the eagle eyes of my beautiful dentist, I would be none the wiser."

While there have been low points over the last six weeks, including allowing herself to "grieve" her health, Claire has found a new lease on life. 

"This diagnosis hits home hard how precious and short life is. It's so important not to waste it on silly and frivolous things," she said. 

Oral cancer is on the rise, especially in younger women.

Having regular dental checks might just save your life. Oral cancer — and tongue cancer in particular — is on the rise in Australia, and especially in younger women. Currently, researchers don't know why. 

Tongue cancer diagnoses continue to rise by around three per cent each year. For women under the age of 45, that rate jumps to a four per cent increase, often in patients with no history of smoking or heavy drinking.

Researchers are investigating genetic factors, the role of the human papillomavirus (HPV), Epstein-Barr virus, poor oral hygiene and gum disease as potential contributors to the jump in cases.   

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Vice President Associate Professor Michael Clements said that these rising numbers come at a time when female patients miss out on an early diagnosis for other conditions as well.

"We know that we often miss cardiac disease or heart attacks in females because we're often thinking of many things as male diseases," he told newsGP. 

"We're often thinking of oral cancer as a smoker's or an older person's disease, so it's a reminder for GPs to keep our differential list wide."

Feature image: Supplied.