Exostosis - exterior (lip facing) below bottom row of teeth
 

I've had Exostosis growing for several years now, mainly below my 4 middle teeth on my bottom row of teeth. They're not the ones that grow behind the row of teeth, these have been slowly growing below my bottom row of teeth, front-facing.

I can't really notice them day to day, but my main concern with them is I believe they're actually 'pulling' at my gum tissue, causing it to recede between the 4 middle teeth at the bottom row.

Is the pulling of gum tissue common with exostosis? Do these get to a certain size and stop growing? I'm mostly concerned about the gums! No matter how diligent I am with flossing, I fear the exostosis may keep pulling down, eventually exposing the deeper parts of the teeth or roots.

My dentist had examined the spots a couple years ago and confirmed them as exostosis (my father tori - I believe they are called? Growing on the inside, not the outside, at the bottom row of his teeth).

Thanks for any information you may have. (The information I've seen online says they can lead to periodontal conditions. Mine are still quite small, but I can see the effect on the gums. That's the scary part!)

Hi dmplaura,

Exostosis are overgrowth of bone sometimes referred to as bony protusions or tori. In the mouth they can be in the mandible (lower jaw) on the facial (facing the cheek/lips) or lingual (facing the tongue) side. They an also be on the palate (roof of the mouth). They usually continue to grow at a very slow rate. Sometimes so slow that the growth is unnoticeable. If they start to grown quickly, they need to be clinically evaluated.

When they are in the mandible on the facial side, as you have described, as they enlarge the tissue expands to accomodate the growth which can sometimes pull at the tissue along the gumline. The growth is generally very slow and it may or may not cause recession at the gumline.

The best thing to do at this point is to keep the teeth and gums clean and healthy to avoid periodontal disease. Never brush aggressively as you want to avoid any trauma to that gum area. If you feel that the tori are changing, see your dentist at 6 month intervals to monitor the changes.

Tori can be surgically removed. However, they sometimes come back!! So unless they are causing a dental infection like periodontal disease or they're interfering with your speech, eating... etc.... it is generally a benign situation that needs to be monitored.

I hope this info helps a bit... if it makes you feel better.... SO MANY people have some form of tori in their mouths and very, very few ever have a problem that needs intervening.

Bryanna :)

Thanks so much for the reply Bryanna! :hug: My dentist checked them before, but it's been a while since I've been in, and it began as 1 spot initially, but they've grown over the last 3-4 years (that I've noticed their presence at least).

I need to get my butt into the dentist regardless for a cleaning. I'll be sure to ask about them at that time (though they always comment on them - just remark that they're present, and ask if there's pain, there's not).

Thanks for the reply. :) Surgery doesn't sound fun what so ever on these things.. eeek!