Dental Education Lecture: Kid Mouth Lump

Small lump in the mouth of kid is not so common, but when it is found, parents are concerned.  The good news is that the lump is usually very benign.  It is not a cancer.  It is more or less like a scar in our skin.

The lump is quite small, painless and usually grows very slowly.  It can be found by a dentist during routine exam (Fig.1) or is present since birth (Fig.2).  The surface can be very smooth (Fig.3: enlargement of Fig.1) or slightly uneven (Fig.4: Fig.2 blow-up).

Although the lump is usually benign, we should bring the kid to dental office for removal and definitive diagnosis.  Children accepts the treatment readily. The kid of Fig.2 is just six years old, the one in Fig.1 is ten.  Local anesthesia is not so bad to them.  The wound heals in no time.

After removal of the lump, we should also bring the kid to dental office for regular follow-up, because of some of these lumps may come back.  Early removal can reduce the chance of coming back again.

Xin Wei, DDS, PhD, MS 1st edition 10/1/2009, last revision 10/26/2009