I thought the gap between my teeth was nothing to worry about… until I was rushed into life-saving surgery after a dentist revealed the shocking truth

When 67-year-old Peter Young was interviewed by his local BBC news station, he was excited to see himself on television.

Little did he know, however, that the conversation would change his life.

Peter, from Blackpool, is a professional tribute artist to the late American rock star Meat Loaf.

For the past twenty years, he has earned his living by dressing up and singing the singer’s hits, such as I’d Do Anything for Love.

When Meat Loaf – real name Michael Lee Aday – passed away in January 2021, BBC Look North reached out to Peter to hear his reaction.

“I was honored to be asked,” Peter says. “I did the interview via Zoom and I didn’t say anything else about it after that.

“But later that day, when I saw myself on TV, I noticed a noticeable gap in the bottom row of my teeth that I hadn’t noticed before.”

Peter Young is a Meat Loaf tribute act – and will perform his first gig since diagnosis next year

Peter’s first thought was not for his health, but for his career. ‘I was very aware that if I could see the hole, the audience would see it when I performed.

‘But I was going on holiday to Cyprus so I didn’t have time to visit a dentist in the UK. Instead I visited a dentist when I was in Cyprus and asked her if I could get implants to fill the gap.

“She suggested that I wait until I had been to the dentist at home, and I am very grateful that I did.”

Within a week of returning from his vacation, Peter went to a dentist, who was immediately concerned when she saw what she saw.

She wasn’t worried about the hole, but about the condition of Peter’s gums.

“The skin around my upper teeth had been loose for a while,” says Peter. “It was a bit sensitive, but never painful, so I didn’t pay much attention to it.

‘But when the dentist saw this, she immediately went to her colleague for a second opinion.

“They both agreed it could be oral cancer.”

Around 9,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with mouth cancer each year. The disease usually affects the tonsils, palate or tongue.

The number of cases has risen by more than a third in the past decade. Research suggests this is partly because many Britons struggle to visit an NHS dentist. Surveys show that only 40 per cent of people have visited a NHS dentist in the past two years. A quarter have tried and failed.

A dentist was concerned about his gums and he was referred to hospital, where he was later diagnosed with oral cancer and underwent surgery.

According to experts, this means that the state of the country’s teeth is worse than it was ten years ago, increasing the risk of infections and inflammations that can cause cancer.

Worryingly, the number of deaths from oral cancer has risen by 46 percent in the past decade to more than 3,000. This is partly because early signs of the disease are not being detected and regular appointments are not possible.

This was also true for Peter.

After a visit to the dentist he was referred to Blackpool Victoria Hospital, where a biopsy was performed and a doctor gave Peter the official diagnosis: stage 4 oral cancer, the most advanced stage possible.

The cancer was in the palate, which caused him to suffer from gum problems.

The news was a shock for Peter.

“I had never thought about oral cancer,” he says. “No one in my family had had it, so I didn’t think I had to worry about it.

‘When I asked the doctor if they had caught it early enough, he simply said ‘no’.

“I told him I sing for a living, and he said he didn’t think I could ever do that again. That destroyed me and I broke down right there.”

Peter was immediately taken to the operating room, where he underwent a nearly 12-hour operation to remove the cancer.

The singer noticed he had a gap between his teeth when he watched a video of himself

Surgeons then had to painstakingly reconstruct his mouth, using skin from his wrist and nerves from his arm.

Fortunately, the surgery was successful and after months of rehabilitation, Peter decided his voice was strong enough to return to the stage.

Peter and his band will take to the stage at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens in May next year for his first ever performance with his band since his diagnosis.

“My voice is as good as it’s ever been,” says Peter. “The only thing is I’m four and a half to five stone lighter now.”

Peter has no doubt that his appearance on television saved him.

‘If I hadn’t had that tribute interview on January 20, I wouldn’t have noticed the problem with my teeth that led to the shocking diagnosis.

‘Apart from a dull ache and the feeling of a piece of skin on my gums, I had no serious symptoms and didn’t feel particularly unwell. It wasn’t until I saw myself singing that I realised something was wrong.’

Experts say oral cancer is often difficult to detect at first

“In most cases the cancer is painless so patients are not aware of the problem,” says Prof Michaelina Macluskey, an expert in head and neck cancer at the University of Dundee’s Faculty of Dentistry.

‘In addition, it is often difficult for patients to properly examine their own mouth, because the condition can develop in places that are difficult to see.’

For this reason, Prof. Macluskey advises people to look out for sores that last longer than three weeks, white or red spots on the gums or in the mouth, a lump in the mouth that does not get smaller and is not painful, as well as loose teeth and a change in the sensation in the gums.

Other signs to look for include difficulty swallowing, unexplained bleeding, lumps in the neck, unexplained weight loss, changes in voice quality, and limited jaw movement.

Peter says he now encourages everyone he knows to get their teeth checked.

“When I was young, I never went to the dentist that often and I regret that now,” he says.

‘I only went there when I had a toothache, for example.’