What Are Mandibular Tori (Torus Mandibularis)? 

What are mandibular tori? How can we diagnose them and what can be done about them?

Diagnosing Mandibular Tori

Most of the time your dentist or hygienist will point out a bone growth inside your jawbone, right by the side of your tongue. They can appear bi-lateral (both sides) or on just one sides.

Mandibular Tori (or Torus, if there is only one growth) are benign bone growths which tend to small in size.

Dental providers are able to diagnose these visually, but may also take a CT scan to gauge the true size of the mandibular tori

Symptoms and Complications of Mandibular Tori

Once your provider determines you have mandibular tori, you may ask, okay what should I do about this?

For many people, these growths are small and do not impede with your dental health or overall functioning.

We begin to consider doing something if the tori continue to get larger in size. At that point, the only option to address them is surgical removal. The tori become more of an issue if they grow larger in size.

You may start to collect food around the tori or they may begin to bruise because the skin on top is so thin. Their larger size may displace your tongue and begin to impact your speech and prevent you from performing proper oral hygiene.

The most impactful complication of large mandibular tori is they will begin to affect your sleep. Because of their advanced size, the tori will push your tongue back into a retruded position, which can cause sleep apnea. Most patients with large tori confirm that they suffer from sleep apnea.

Treatment of Mandibular Tori

If the size of the mandibular tori is causing complications with speech, oral hygiene or sleep, we reach the point where we will prescribe surgical removal begin preparations for the surgery.

Surgical Removal of Mandibular Tori

The first step after the clinical exam is to take an in-office dental CT scan. From the CT we are able to evaluate how large and intrusive the tori truly are and the imaging will provide a map for our surgery.

As noted in the video, the CT serves as a precise guide to assess the width of the base of the tori. Using this assessment, we can plan the exact length and depth of incisions. This means a more accurate surgery with minimal complications and faster recovery.

The use of a high-speed drill or burrs to cut the tori is not ideal since there is an increased risk of an air embolism. This method of removal is not precise and can leave bone debris in the wound. Large swelling and delayed healing are also complications with this technique.

The preferred method of tori removal is piezo surgery, which cuts the bone by ultrasound. I usually recommend piezo surgery over the conventional highspeed instrument for safety. Using the piezo, we only cut the bone and can preserve the soft tissue and structures surrounding the tori. The surgery is cleaner and recovery is faster, with fewer complications.

Post-Surgical Care

After the tori are removed, we will place a few stitches. Patients will be on a soft food diet for a few days following the procedure. Stitches are removed one week following the surgery and most patients can easily manage any discomfort with over-the-counter pain medication. Antibiotics are usually not needed.

Summary

If you have to get mandibular tori removal, you do not need to be scared. This is a simple surgery, as long as it is done by expert hands. If you have questions about tori removal – or any other dental issues – please visit our website or call us for a complimentary consultation.

Please call Obeid Dental at (301) 652-9505 if you have any questions or to schedule an appointment. We serve the Chevy Chase, Rockville, Bethesda, Silver Spring, MD, and Washington D.C. area.

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