Harmless Dental Conditions
One of the hardest things for patients to determine is when something is serious enough to warrant medical attention. We all know the person who calls the doctor at the slightest sniffle. We’ve also met someone who’s ignored all symptoms until it’s no longer possible to do so, only to find that their disease is now uncurable. And because we don’t know, we usually default to using pain as the deciding factor even though that may not be the most reliable indicator of a problem.
In the mouth, there are some conditions that may appear serious but are relatively harmless. At most, they can be an annoyance.
Geographic Tongue
Ever seen an ugly tongue? Chances are that belonged to someone with geographic tongue. Also known as benign migratory glossitis, geographic tongue is characterized by irregular bald patches of varying sizes surrounded by a white border. It resembles a map, hence the name. Geographic tongue is fairly common, affecting 1 – 2.5 percent of the population. The cause is unknown, although it occurs more frequently in people who have psoriasis.
The patches come and go and can occur at any time, usually over the course of a person’s life. For all you worrywarts, the condition is not contagious. Nor will it turn into cancer, so a biopsy is not necessary.
There are no symptoms although the tongue can occasionally be sensitive to spicy or sour foods. If you love spicy foods, consider a topical anesthetic gel for the more sensitive areas. Otherwise, no treatment is indicated.
Geographic tongue
Upper Torus or Lower Tori
When I was in dental school, I looked in my mouth one day and noticed a couple small bumps. They felt hard to my tongue. Immediately I jumped to the conclusion that this was serious, possibly life threatening. Imagine my relief when one of my professors looked at it for, at most, a second, chuckled, and said, “Oh, that’s just lower tori. It’s nothing.”
Lower tori are bony protrusions located on the tongue side of the lower jaw (mandible). An upper torus is on the roof of the mouth (palate). These bony lumps are called exostosis and can occur anywhere in the jaws. Although they’ve been linked to genetics, teeth grinding, and even diet, their cause is unknown. They’re usually painless and tend to grow over time.
Lower tori
I like to think of tori as similar to bunions. As with bunions, it’s best to leave them alone unless they interfere with your ability to function. In my case, as one of my tori has grown, sometimes it rubs against my retainer and having an x-ray taken is more uncomfortable. But this annoyance doesn’t motivate me to have them surgically removed. For one thing, the tori may spontaneously grow back!
Amalgam Tattoo
Amalgam tattoo
An amalgam tattoo presents as a small gray, black, or purplish discoloration in the soft tissue of your mouth, usually near a silver amalgam filling. It is caused by tiny remnants of the filling material that get imbedded in the gum. Although it may be alarming to discover one in your mouth, amalgam tattoos pose no health risks. They don’t grow, bleed, or require any intervention.
Canker Sores
Canker sores, or aphthous ulcers, are non-contagious and benign sores that form on the soft gummy parts of the mouth, like the inside of the cheeks or lips. These, too, are quite common, affecting 1 out of 5 people, and tend to recur over a person’s lifetime. The cause is unknown, although aphthous ulcers have been linked to genetics, stress, trauma from, for example, too vigorous brushing, and certain food and allergen triggers. Some patients have been known to get canker sores after every professional teeth cleaning.
Aphthous ulcer
Aphthous ulcers often last 7-10 days and go away on their own without any treatment. In the meantime, though, they can be painful. Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory pastes, numbing gels, or even milk of magnesia can be applied selectively to the ulcer to relieve symptoms.
Be aware that canker sores are different from cold sores. Although cold sores are also habitual irritants, unlike aphthous ulcers, they are caused by the Herpes Simplex virus. Extremely contagious, cold sores usually occur at the corners of the mouth or the lips.
