What's This Bony Lump On My Gums?

                                                            By: F.Spiva Jr. CDT MDT CD

                                                                                      Copyright 1986

                                                                                thedenturepro@aol.com

 

 

    From time to time someone writes and asks why they have one or more "lumps" of what feels hard like bone at one or more places on their gums. The "lumps" they ask about are not really rare or are they necessarily common, but they do exist for a somewhat large number of people. The "lumps" can be found on the roof (Palate) of the upper gum, or they can be on the sides of the gums, upper or lower. These "lumps" can be small as a garden Pea, or as large as a the end of your thumb. I've seen the "lumps" begin just behind the front lower teeth, and extend down the side of the lower gum ridge all the way back to the last molar tooth.

 

    So, what are the "lumps" called technically you might ask, and the answer is that they are called "TORI". Tori hardly ever begins to appear after childhood, but instead begins to slowly grow in early childhood and stop growing once full adulthood is reached. In most cases they don't create problems with eating or speech, nor do they produce pain unless bumped by a hard substance or object. In some cases, when they are on both sides of the lower gums (right and left) next to the tongue, they can restrict the tongues movements and create both eating and speech issues.

 

    "TORI" can be such an issue that they must be removed. It could become a speech altering issue and it could be an obstacle if and when you need to wear a dental appliance such as a Denture or Partial Denture...Tori, as a rule, begin just below where natural teeth enter the gums and can extend only a few millimeters down towards the floor of the mouth, or they my extend all the way down...They seldom extend all the way to the floor however. They may protrude outward towards the cheek or tongue, depending on which side of the gums they are on, and that distance may be no more than the thickness of a match stick or it may be as thick as your finger.

 

    Because the tissue over a Tori tends to be far thinner than other gum tissue, it doesn't tolerate pressure like a denture or partial denture would place on it..Futher more, it will limit how far down the side of the gum a denture or partial could reach to help hold the appliance in place. If the Tori happened to be on the roof of the mouth, and you needed an Upper denture, it's doubtful you could tolerate the pressure of the denture on the thin skinned Tori.

 

    So..if you have a TORI, what do you do about it? The answer is, you have it removed. Yes, before you ask, it is a surgical procedure, but it's not in most cases a procedure that is considered risky or really serious. Because the Tori is nothing more than bone, it's either chipped off or ground off...It's a relatively quick procedure and you heal quickly. The best part is that it will not come back. Once removed it's gone from then on.

 

    Now, if you have a TORI, but are not currently considering a dental appliance that you will have to deal with, you might consider getting it removed now while your young and heal faster. That way it isn't an issue you have to deal with while at the same time learning to wear a dental appliance. If and when you need to consider having a Tori removed, I suggest you see an "Oral Surgeon".

 

    If you have comment or need to ask a question, you can do so on this site or you can Email me at: thedenturepro@aol.com, and I will personally respond directly to your Email address. All correspondence will be kept private