Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is an aggressive tumor and represents the most common oral malignancy found by dental health care providers. Timely detection is paramount to reduce patient comorbidities of regional and distant metastases and improve survival rates. To augment recognition of early stage of gingival SCC (GSCC), this article features the somewhat innocuous clinical findings in a 60-year-old female. Keywords: diagnosis, early detection, gingiva, squamous cell carcinoma