Is a round lump on the floor of the mouth a mandibular tori?

Question

Hi doctor,

For around six months, I have felt a small lump on the floor of my mouth. I would say that it is around 3 to 4 mm, round, hard, and flat. It is located where the floor of my mouth meets my teeth, and when I look in the mirror, it is not visible. I had braces for four to five years; my front bottom tooth was removed (the gap was closed by the braces).

I have a permanent retainer after that. I know that mandibular tori can be caused by local trauma and stress, but I read that it normally occurs on both sides. Also, every picture I have seen of mandibular tori shows a much larger lump. Could I have a small mandibular torus on one side of my jaw, or do you think it is something else?

Please help.

Thank you

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

Upon review, these were the findings:

3 to 4 mm round, the hard and flat swelling floor of the mouth, lingual to lower anterior teeth.
Gap closure with braces after lower anterior tooth extraction (single tooth) and stress.

Due to single tooth extraction and braces treatment to close the gap, stress, and other factors, some amount of osseous (bony) tissue could overgrow; certainly, an abnormal healing process could have happened. Another reason could be the growth of inflammatory tissue around the lingual permanent retainer.

Provisional diagnosis in your case is osseous overgrowth in the single tooth extraction region due to pressure from braces treatment. Differential diagnosis can be a mandibular torus or a granulomatous lesion.

I suggest you undergo an X-ray of the affected region. Follow-up with X-ray.

I hope you are satisfied with my answer.

For further queries, you can consult me at iCliniq.

Thank you.