A Dartford man whose mouth cancer went undiagnosed for eight months, even after three dentist visits, is calling for "lessons to be learned".

Gary Rasmussen, a former butler, required 14 hours of surgery, six weeks of chemotherapy, bone reconstruction and also skin grafts to repair scar tissue following the diagnosis.

His troubles began when he was 61 and visited a dentist in April 2013 over a lesion which he was concerned about, which he was then told was a mouth ulcer and he should just take pain-relief gel until it goes away.

When the lesion persisted, a second dentist suggested it may be due to his wisdom teeth, so Mr Rasmussen had his lower right wisdom tooth removed.

After this did nothing to stop the growing lesion, he then demanded a biopsy in November 2013, which confirmed he had mouth cancer.

Speaking about his horrific experience, Mr Rasmussen said: "I had always been anxious about the dentist due to my fear of needles and while I was surprised they weren’t concerned by the lesion, I just trusted that they knew what they were doing.

"I completely broke down when I got the news of my diagnosis, as it felt like all of my concerns across the months had just been ignored.

"While I feel lucky to be alive, everything I have been through has had a far-reaching and lasting impact. I had 14 hours of surgery, which included the removal of the tumour, part of my jaw and five teeth. I also had six weeks of chemo-radiotherapy which was absolute hell, as I was in pain, suffered vomiting and sores in my mouth. My weight plummeted to eight stones."

Mr Rasmussen, who has recovered from the cancer, is now using Mouth Cancer Action Month to call on health and dental professionals to do more to spot the condition at the earliest opportunity.

"I don’t know whether I’ll ever get over the fact that the cancer should have been spotted sooner. I felt it was hugely important to speak out during Mouth Cancer Action Month, as the issues I’ve faced should not happen again.

"My message to anyone who is concerned about persistent oral problems to question whether it could be mouth cancer and to be relentless in ensuring that you are seen and treated appropriately," he said.

Mr Rasmussen received a six-figure settlement regarding the delay in his diagnosis after filing his case with Irwin Mitchell, a law firm which specialises in medical negligence.

A lawyer for the firm, Emma Wagstaff said: "Mouth Cancer Action Month is an important time to put a spotlight on the issue and Gary’s experience shows that there remains much to be done to increase awareness of the condition."

The Mouth Cancer Foundation is a charity solely dedicated to supporting people affected by head and neck cancer.