lump on hard palate of mouth?

A few months ago i noticed a rough spot on my hard palate, directly behind a front tooth. It felt and looked like hanging pieces of skin and I thought I had maybe injured myself on hot/sharp food. (I have always had a small natural bump there since I was about 14 and it was easy to injury it when eating.) However, despite the ragged skin peeling off, it didn't go away and eventually felt like a small lump, maybe the size of my small fingernail. It was not painful though a bit uncomfortable to eat on but has got sorer in the last few weeks--as has the tooth directly infront of it. This tooth is 'dead', it had a root canal in it over 30 years ago and has some discoloration in recent years esp at the back.My dr looked at the bump and said it doesn't have any 'red flags' as far as anything really nasty like mouth cancer, but that she would send me to an oral surgeon if a dentist can't find the answer. I'm just waiting to see a dentist now.

Anyone had anything like this? Could it be that the tooth is infected and the infection is coming out the side because the original root is gone? Or maybe its just a fibroma due to irritation and the sore tooth is just coincidental?