If you’ve noticed the bones inside your mouth growing unexpectedly, you are not alone. Called dental tori, this harmless bone growth can happen on the roof of your mouth, inside your lower jaw, or on the cheek side of your upper molars. Before you jump to conclusions with concerns of oral cancer, set your mind at ease by learning more about dental tori.

Since tori grow slowly and vary in size, they don’t usually affect eating or speaking. You may not even notice you have them until your dentist points it out during an exam. Symptoms of tori that may alert you to them is irritation from some foods, interference with dentures, and occasional interference with speech if the tori are large. Your dentist can diagnose tori by examination and sometimes X-rays. A biopsy might be recommended if the tori is growing very large or in an unusual location.

The good news is that tori are not cancerous, and do not develop into cancer. They are simply normal bone covered with normal tissue. However, it’s advisable to ask your dentist about any growths you find in your mouth just to make sure it’s nothing serious. Tori are bone growths that can’t be prevented, and will not go away without surgery. The most common reason people have tori removed is when dentures are needed. An oral surgeon often can remove tori in an office procedure. Fortunately, most people with dental tori live with them for many years without any problems at all.

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