Yikes! What is That Lump In My Mouth?
Tori midline of palate.
That hard lump could be a harmless bone growth called a tori!
Tori are also known as Torus or exostoses.
It is always a good idea to examine your mouth thoroughly looking for anything unusual:
- Check for growths – are they hard, soft? Note the size.
- Check for sores – especially sores that do not heal within two weeks.
- Check for any inflammation usually noted as redness
- Check for discolored areas – note color, size, and are they changing?
- Check for areas that look irritated, and
- Check for any areas that look ‘different’!
If you notice a hard swelling and you are not sure how long it has been present it may be a tori. Hard lumps along your upper or lower jaw on the gums by your teeth or on the top of your mouth may be a ‘normal’ bone growth called a Tori or dental tori. If a tori occurs on the palate of the upper jaw, it is known as a torus palatinus and they are usually near the midline of the palate. Tori can also occur on the cheek side (buccal side) of upper and lower teeth as well and they are usually seen by the molars and premolars. In these areas tori are almost always present on both sides (bilaterally). Tori are slightly more common in males.
Note tori on the cheek side of the teeth as well as on the tongue side.
This unusual tori is just present on one side of the mouth and the patient believes she had a gum graft in this area.
Usually, tori will occur in approximately the same areas on both sides of the mouth. Or the tori will occur at the midline of the palate as shown above. Occasionally tori will be much more prominent on one side of the mouth. These should always be evaluated by your dentist or by an oral surgeon.
This tori present on just one side of the mouth is much more unusual!
Our office would be happy to answer your questions about dental tori or other conditions in your mouth! We are located in Grand Junction, Colorado. We would love to have you LIKE us on Facebook! (see https://www.facebook.com/juliegillisddspc?ref=br_tf)
Our office website is www.juliegillisds.com. For further information, please contact us at (970) 242-3635.
If teeth are lost it may be difficult to place a partial over tori. Best to keep your teeth healthy!