Lump under my tongue - Tooronga Family Dentistry in Glen Iris

Many times my patients are concerned about lumps appearing under their tongue. Since the tongue is surrounded by several anatomical structures, there are many possible sources for the lump. I”ll try to list the major reasons, but it does not replace the need to have an examination by a dentist:

Bone related – exostoses or torus – at times new bone is formed on the mandible, these areas can feel like round small or large hard lumps and they usually grow on both sides of the jaw. These exostoses are benign lesions of little clinical significance, but they need to be regularly inspected.
Salivary gland swelling – Ranula or mucocele – saliva is formed inside small and large glands, but when the tube, that drains the saliva in to the mouth, gets blocked it starts to pool and cause a swelling. These swellings are soft to touch and may vanish if pushed on or the saliva is drained but they re-appear after a while. These lesions usually need treatment or removal.
Connective tissue related – Traumatic fibroma – is an area where the lining of the tongue has become thick, usually due to the rubbing against a sharp edge. This causes the accumulation of connective tissue at the site of chronic irritation. It is important to remove the cause of these lesions.
An infections or inflammation originating from a tooth with an abscess, a saliva gland or the bone. The infection from these areas can spread and cause a swelling under the tongue. This can lead to a more severe form called “ Ludwig’s angina“. The treatment is to remove the source of infection, which will lead to the disappearance of the swelling.
A cyst – there are cysts that can form under the tongue with the more common one being a lymphoepithelial cyst which develop from entrapped salivary glands. Usually cysts will need to be removed, since they tend to increase in size over time.
Benign or malign tumors – the different tissues around the tongue can give rise to tumors leading to a swelling. It is not possible to list here all the different tumors or their treatment, but it is very important to have them examined as soon as possible and monitored on a regular basis.

For more information about tongue related conditions, please use this link.

It is important to have any swelling under the tongue examined. Please contact us to have an examination.