Dental Health ...Mandibular Tori – bony growths in the floor of the mouth

Dental Health …Mandibular Tori – bony growths in the floor of the mouth

Aug 07, 2016 News

Most persons are usually alarmed when they realize that they have a bony growth in their mouth. The first thing is not to panic, and then to ascertain whether there is cause for concern. It is possible that the structure is a Torus (the plural is tori). Tori are harmless bony growths found in the mouth.
Tori tend to grow in three parts of the mouth:
· The roof of the mouth (Palatine tori)
· The inside of the lower jaw (Mandibular or lingual tori)
· The cheek side of the upper molars (Buccalexostoses)
According to the Maxillofacial Center for Education and Research website, mandibular tori affect approximately 27 out of every 1,000 people, and are particularly common among people of Asian descent.
The prevalence of mandibular tori varies from five per cent to 40% and is less common than bony growths occurring on the palate.
Mandibular tori growth may start in the teenage years as small bumps on the mandible and may grow larger as the patient gets older.
The growths of bone are non-movable, smooth and hard to the touch. They vary in size and shape and can be single or multiple lumps of bone.
Tori may occur unilaterally (one side) or bilaterally (both sides) in the mouth; over 90 percent of cases occur bilaterally.
In rare cases, bilateral mandibular tori may become so large that they meet at the midline of the floor of the mouth. Bilateral growth is usually even, with both sides growing roughly the same size. One side being bigger than the other, or one torus growing fast in a short time period, could indicate a problem.
Tori are slow-growing and most of them do not interfere with eating or speech. Many persons have tori without knowing it.
Your dentist may find a torus during an exam, or you might notice one on your own.
Persons who notice tori are concerned about oral cancer but tori are not cancerous, and they also do not turn into cancer.
A torus is normal bone covered with normal tissue. However, other types of growths in the mouth can turn out to be oral cancer so you should always have your dentist check any growths you find.
Causes of Tori
It is believed that mandibular tori are caused by several factors.
Research shows they may be due to stress on the lower jaw which may be caused by teeth grinding (called bruxing) or even forceful chewing. Genetics may also play a role as tori are found more often in men and are passed down from father to son. There is also some speculation that the underlying roots of the teeth, and the lateral pressure of roots, cause mandibular tori.
However, the reasons why tori form are not fully understood, and in some cases they appear to be an indication that the patient has a condition such as temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ), while in other cases the growths seem completely random.
The removal of tori is usually needed if:
· The bumps grow so large they touch and irritate each other
· The tori are interfering with speech or oral hygiene
· They become bruised and painful from brushing, sharp foods, or dental trauma
· The patient needs braces, dentures or other dental fittings
Treatment
The mode of treatment is the surgical removal of the bony lumps and this is usually not a painful process. The surgeon would make a flap into the overlying gum tissue to expose the bony growth. The excess bone is then removed and the flap is sutured back into position.
For more information contact OMNI DENTAL at 295 Quamina Street, Georgetown Tel: 227-0025, Parika Tel: 260-3133 or send emails to [email protected].

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Dental Health …Mandibular Tori – bony growths in the floor of the mouth

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