I went to see a new dentist yesterday. He noticed that I have a rather large and hard lump on the roof of my mouth. He asked if I thought it had gotten bigger or always been that big. I told him that I didn't think it had gotten any bigger. Well, today I can't stop thinking about it and feeling it with my tongue. I don't honestly know if it has always been that large or not. Should I not worry about it since the dentist didn't say anything else about it? Or should I see someone else for some type of test or something?

Hi Judith

Please go to your doctor and get it checked out. Start with your PCP; if need be, get a referral to either an oral surgeon or an ENT. It could be nothing major, but why take the chance. Do you know how long the lump has been there?

Hoping for the best for you.

Julia

Hello Judith

It is not possible to give you a diagnosis over the Internet. It could be a normal bump called a torus that you had not noticed before. See these previous posts on lumps in the roof of the mouth.

Also look at Fig. 1.25 in this article called Examination Technique with Normal Findings and Structures Mistaken for Disease for pictures of normal appearances.

Hope that helps. Do let us know how you get on.

Best wishes
Vinod

I have another appointment with this dentist on February 9 to have some molds made. I'll talk to him about it then.

I know I have always had a hard time with regular dental x-rays because of extra bone in my hard palate. It just plain hurts to hold those cardboard things in my mouth. Hopefully, I have always had this and just never concentrated on it this much.

Will the dentist be able to perform any tests in his office? Or will I be refered somewhere else?

Hi Judith

Like you, I have a hard time with dental x-rays, but not for quite the same reason. Before I got "Flappy" I gagged because the cardboard x-ray thingies were just bloody uncomfortable (that was one of the many reasons I had for not going since Reagan was in the White House). Now the trouble is because the left side of my mouth is higher than the left.

On the bright side, though, a lot of dentists are switching (or have already switched) to digital x-rays and the card is much smaller (but still not much easier for me to tolerate, unfortunately). I've been given conflicting information on how to keep from hacking and gacking. My mom (a denture wearer since 1967) said to breathe through my nose. My ENT says to breathe through my mouth. I say screw 'em and insist on being knocked out.

It's hard to say what tests, if any, your dentist might want, so that last question will have to remain unanswered. Sorry.

my daughter has found a small lump on the roof of her mouth behind her front teeth. Every once a frequent while(!) it bleeds profoundly. This morning she woke up with her mouth full of blood. It's like it breaks open and bleeds. It is soft and flesh colored. She is 7 mo. pregnant and she just developed it.

Hi Merlotsherry

Great picture, btw.

How long has the lump been there? Has your daughter been to a dentist recently? That would be the best first step to take. You might also want to check out what Dr Joshi has indicated.

I'm sorry I haven't been able to answer your question any better than this, but I do hope that everything turns out well for you, your daughter and your grandbaby.