Genetics: A 2015 study of twins suggests a strong genetic link for bony outgrowths in the mouth, even in those who have other risk factors. Tooth grinding: People who grind their teeth may be more likely to experience these bony growths. Bone mineral density: Changes in bone mineral density may cause a torus palatinus.
Torus palatinus refers to a bony growth on the roof of your mouth. These growths are harmless, but can be uncomfortable and inconvenient. You can be born with torus palatinus or develop it later in life. Removal isn't necessary unless the growth causes complications or interferes with speech or swallowing.
A very hard lump on the roof of the mouth may be a sign of torus palatinus. Torus palatinus is an extra bone growth that is benign and not indicative of an underlying condition. The growth can appear at any age, and it may continue to grow throughout a person's life.
Dental Bone Spur Removal
An oral surgeon can remove a benign growth using specialized tools. The surgeon removes the soft tissue over the area, finely trims and smooths the bone out, and stitches the tissue back into place.
Torus mandibularis (also called tori bone) are bony growths in the lower mouth. They are most often thought to be caused by genetics, stress in the jaw, teeth misalignment, teeth grinding, or environmental factors.
Stress in the jaw bone and bruxism are other factors. This condition is more common in early adult life, and consequently, it is believed that mandibular tori are the result of local stresses and not solely on genetic influences. The genetic influence can best be seen in studies of twins.
Tori are not cancerous. 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.
Although the surgery is not necessarily more uncomfortable than a wisdom tooth extraction, the oral surgeon may need to use chisels and mallets to loosen the bone to remove it. Most patients are understandably uncomfortable with the image and feelings of this and prefer sedation.
In most other cases, such as the presence of small tori that does not cause pain or obstruct dental prosthetics, most dentists will recommend not removing the tori and simply keeping a watchful eye on it. In most cases, the presence of tori is completely harmless.
Because mandibular tori are bone growths, you cannot get rid of them without surgical treatment from your dentist.
Torus Palatinus
A solid bump on the mouth roof may be a “palatal tor.” – Small bony lumps that spread from the mid to high line of the palate. Mostly, they are painless but irritate during talking or eating. The only treatment is the surgical removal of the bump.
Torus palatinus
This is a smooth, hard bump on the roof of your mouth, usually centered on the hard palate, just behind the upper front teeth. According to studies, torus palatinus is more common in women.
"There are two basic ways that oral cancers present in the mouth — as white patches or red patches," says Dr. Kain. "Red patches are a bit more concerning than white patches, but either needs to be evaluated if it doesn't go away after several weeks."
Fibrous dysplasia is a condition that causes abnormal growth or swelling of bone. The cause seems to be a genetic change that alters the usual growth of the bone's connective tissue. Treatment includes surgery to remove diseased section of bone.
In most cases tori are benign and do not require treatment. However, tori will need to be surgically removed to accommodate upper or lower dentures and upper or lower partial dentures (flippers). Tori may also be removed to aid in minimizing food impaction under the excess bone, which will promote improved home care.
When the extra bone is found in your hard palate, it is called your torus palatinus. If the tori are found on your lower jaw, they are considered to be mandibular tori. Most tori grow to a certain point and stop growing. Most growth stops after our jaws have developed in our late teenage years.
Developing a torus palatinus can potentially be alarming, especially to someone anxious about oral health or cancer. However, these growths are benign, which means that they do not cause cancer and are not a risk factor for cancer.
Tori, or mandibular tori to give it its full name, are small growths of bone that tend to grow on the tongue side of our gums where teeth grinding is present. They are harmless but do indicate that the patient may be grinding their teeth.
Expect to be sore and swollen after your tori removal surgery for approximately 1 week. Complete healing after tori removal will take approximately 8 weeks. Remember, salt water rinses will help accelerate the healing process.
The size of the tori can increase slowly and continuously through the life of an individual. If the tori has to be removed, surgery can be done to reduce the bone, but it may grow back again in cases where there is local stress, such as excessive forces from an unbalanced bite.
Similar to enlarged tonsils or adenoids, a large tongue, or an enlarged uvula, large mandibular tori can contribute to breathing obstructions, making one more susceptible to snoring and sleep apnea.
Tori can develop in men and women with maxillary tori more common in females2. The average age for a torus to develop is between 30-40 years old3 although upper jaw tori have been discovered as early as the first decade in life4.
Tori (or a single torus) are bumps in the mouth made of bone tissue covered by gum tissue. They grow slowly and some people have them without ever noticing them!