Hi i have the growth/swelling under both ides of the tongue..the "swelling" has little bumps on it..it is painless.. i have smoked for about 4-5 years between half a pack to pack a day...i am really worried about it and i haven't had the time to go to a doctor. The lump has been there for about 4 months. I am posing some pis of it to..any suggestions will b appreciated..thank you
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Hi Terabaap

The first steps you need to take are to quit smoking and to see a doctor about the anomaly under your tongue. (You can also discuss quitting options with your doc--two birds with one stone!) After all, this COULD be nothing serious, but why take that chance.

As wonderful as the internet in general (and this site in particular) might be, nothing has been programmed yet that will give a good diagnosis for anything beyond a hangnail.

Please let us know how you get on.

Julia

Hello Terrabaap

It is most probably an enlarged sublingual saliva gland. But do quit smoking as Julia advises or you risk something worse another time. Please see your doctor for a referral to an oral and maxillofacial surgeon for a proper diagnosis and management.



You might find that the article: Mouth floor enlargements related to the sublingual glands in edentulous or partially edentulous patients. explains this.

quote:

Non-neoplastic enlargements can be observed in the minor salivary glands, especially in the palate. These enlargements are asymptomatic and are microscopically characterized by proliferation of mucosal glandular tissue. They have been called adenomatoid hyperplasia of the mucous salivary glands4. The same type of proliferation occurring in serous acini of the sublingual gland has been denominated adenomatoid serous hyperplasia of the sublingual gland.

Asymptomatic mouth floor enlargements (MFE) have been observed in edentulous and partially edentulous patients and may cause difficulties in the fitting of dentures. These swellings are masses that protrude from the mouth floor, are soft upon palpation, and are covered by a normal appearing mucosa. They are asymptomatic and the patient is unaware of the time of evolution. Although some authors consider these enlargements to be normal variations of the mouth floor resulting from bone resorption in the alveolar margin, Campos described these swellings for the first time in 1996 as a pathological entity and denoted them "hyperplasia of the sublingual glands". The microscopic aspects and etiopathogenesis of these enlargements are still not completely understood and they do even not appear as a nosologic entity in current classifications. Some patients with MFE, in addition to difficulties in the fitting of dentures, are susceptible to bite trauma and require surgical treatment.

Hope that helps. Let us know how you get on.

Best wishes
Vinod