Question and anxiety

It's probably something totally unrelated to cancer! I get pain identical to what you're describing and it has to do with a slightly cracked molar tooth, not cancer at all 🙂 Now I wear a night guard so I don't grind my teeth at night. So I bet a dentist will be able to help you out! Especially since you say most of the pain has gone away again (which isn't really likely to happen if it's cancer progression — cancer will just get worse and worse until it is treated).

My husband did have a metastasis to his jaw bone, though, which caused significant pain eating and drinking. It didn't lead to a clicking noise or anything. It turned into a really big mass in his mouth that literal pices of bones came out of … It was out of a horror movie. He says the pain from met in his jaw is still the worst pain he has experienced since being diagnosed a year ago (and that's including bone mets elsewhere in his body, brain tumours, and many other organ metastases). Luckily BRAF inhibitors cleared it up within two weeks, and even when those drugs stopped working, that met hasn't come back. He hasn't had any mouth problems since early May 2018.

I agree that it may be something completely unrelated to cancer. It could be a temporomandibular condition of some sort. The condition is generally caused by stress and melanoma certainly will give you stress. You probably are clenching your jaw and are not aware that you're doing it. Best thing is to bring this up with a dentist or you primary care doc, who can provide you with a plan on how to relieve your discomfort.

I am Stage 3D, and believe me . . when I was first diagnosed I had pain and possible melanoma EVERYWHERE. I was convinced the cancer was in my abdomin, my groin, behind my ear (in my brain!) and yes, I made my medical oncologist look at my hooha. 🙁 I still apologize to her for that.

Long story short, it wasn't any of those places. 

Your fear is not going to go away by anyone telling you "oh, don't worry" or my any amount of reading on this forum. Why? Because everyone is different. I suggest you make appointments with whatever doctor you have to and get things checked out. Start with a call to your main oncologist. Its their job to listen to you and to address any and all concerns you have. 

Coming from a dental hygienist, jaw pain and clicking is extremely common issue among dental patients. It is usually related to the misalignment of the upper and lower jaws, teeth crowding, stress, or issues with TMJ (temperomandibular joint). Usually, it's relieved through your dentist fabricating a bite guard which the patient wears during the night and may need a bit of getting used to however patients swear by it. You may only need your dentist to do a simple bite adjustment to resolve your problem. As for the clicking, this is a TMJ joint issue and more difficult to treat however there are things you can do to help. Your dentist may decide that you need a bite adjustment which may solve the problem. During periods of high stress (eg. students on exams) report jaw and teeth pain and this dissipatesin few weeks. Avoid chewing gum or yeawning wide to prevent lock jaw, eat softer, smaller bite size food pieces, and take pain meds as needed. If the pain and clicking doesn't go away after exhausting these suggestions please ask your dentist to refer you to a TMJ specialist. 

Hope this helps and good luck resolving your issue ASAP.

Melanie