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Painless Hard Lump on Gum? Can Cause Include Cancer?
If you’ve found a painless hard lump on a gum, it’s not likely to be cancer, but a tumor needs to be ruled out – especially if you can’t tell if the lump is truly hard or is somewhat soft.
Your mouth will often get a number of sores and other events, and most of them are not going to amount to anything.
Many of them will usually heal and often disappear rather quickly.
One such feature that is permanent is a bony growth that often occurs on the gums – usually on the tongue side of your teeth on the lower jaw, under your tongue or on the roof of your mouth.
This painless growth is called a dental tori or torus mandibularis.
About Dental Tori
Dental tori will be pink colored – the same color as the inside of your mouth. They often grow bilaterally, growing on both sides of your mouth at the same time, and are harmless.
This bone growth, which may appear as a single, painless hard lump or as several, are generally covered by the same tissue that lines your mouth, and it’s smooth.
They really are not unusual and mostly do not require any treatment. About 27 out of 1,000 people or about five percent of the population will develop dental tori.
Oral Cancer
The lump that you’re seeing on your gum is not likely going to be oral cancer. Although a lump is often one of the first signs of mouth cancer, those lumps are almost always soft.
Because a tori in the mouth (tori means bone growth) is always hard, a hard lump is unlikely to be cancerous.
Causes of Torus Mandibularis
Dental tori can occur at any stage of life, but it more commonly starts in young adults.
Several factors can influence the development of tori, including genetics and the stress placed on the jawbone (clenching of teeth and teeth grinding).
Males have a slightly higher risk of developing them than females
Removal of Dental Tori
In most cases, it’s not necessary to remove the tori. It only becomes necessary when it starts to interfere with your eating or talking.
They will continue to grow but at different rates at different times of your life. Another occasion that may require removal of the tori is when you’re being fitted for dentures.
When to See the Dentist
Dental tori will produce a hard lump, but if you have a sore that does not disappear after two weeks, or if you have other suspicious sores or developments, see a dentist quickly for a diagnosis.
Keep in mind that if a dentist suspects cancer, you will be urged to see your primary care physician who can then get the ball rolling for diagnostics.
Dr. Vadivel, DDS, is a board certified periodontal surgeon, and Founder-CEO of Implants & Gumcare of Texas, offering affordable restorative and cosmetic dental procedures. Dr. Vadivel has over 25 years of experience.
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Top image: Shutterstock/Djomas
Cause of Swollen Gums Around a Wisdom Tooth: Never Ignore
Swollen infected gums around a wisdom tooth require immediate treatment to prevent a very serious spread of the infection that can become fatal.
Swollen gums and inflammation around a wisdom tooth is a situation you cannot ignore.
It indicates an infection and it could become very serious. This condition is called pericoronitis.
Watching for other symptoms that accompany it is important, and it needs to be diagnosed quickly by your dentist.
The Cause of Swollen Gums
Pericoronitis is caused when a wisdom tooth is only partially sticking out of the gums. It does not fully erupt.
This enables food particles and bacteria to enter the gums next to the tooth and get trapped there, causing inflamed gums.
As the area at the back of your mouth is not easy to clean, and also because of the flap, the infection can become serious.
In fact, it could become fatal if it spreads very far. In severe cases, the inflammation keeps spreading and can extend into your cheeks and neck.
Symptoms of a Spreading Gum Infection
The symptoms you want to watch for indicate that the infection is expanding and has started to reach a dangerous level.
If left alone, it can become life threatening. The symptoms are fever, an earache, and you will have difficulty breathing.
The infection can be rather painful. You may also taste pus and have bad breath.
If there is a tooth above that wisdom tooth, it will likely be painful when you bite down due to the inflammation.
In addition to difficulty breathing, some other symptoms to be on the alert are: muscle spasms in your jaw, swollen lymph nodes under the jaw, or a swollen area of your face.
This condition can also lead to gum disease. Once it gets started and becomes periodontitis, it can affect your gums and teeth.
The inflammation spreads and your immune system reaction starts to destroy your gums, the ligaments that support your teeth, and your jawbone.
Diagnosis and Treatment
The dentist will need to look at and diagnose the condition.
With pericoronitis, the dentist will need to drain the pus and clean the area.
Antibiotics will need to be given, and saltwater rinses will need to be taken for several days.
It is also possible that you will need wisdom teeth removal.
When to See the Dentist
If you have swollen gums around a wisdom tooth, it’s important to seek dental care right away, which may include a wisdom tooth extraction.
Besides being painful, it may lead to a life threatening infectious spread.
Dr. Vadivel, DDS, is a board certified periodontal surgeon, and Founder-CEO of Implants & Gumcare of Texas, offering affordable restorative and cosmetic dental procedures. Dr. Vadivel has over 25 years of experience.
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