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The procedure for traditional surgical tori removal is like any other surgery. The patient receives general anesthesia, and the dentist uses a scalpel to access the bone and a drill to remove it.
In most cases tori are benign and do not require treatment. However, tori will need to be surgically removed to accommodate upper or lower dentures and upper or lower partial dentures (flippers). Tori may also be removed to aid in minimizing food impaction under the excess bone, which will promote improved home care.
Due to laser technology, tori dental removal can be virtually pain-free.
How long does it take to recover after removal of the dental tori? It takes about three to four weeks to recover from the surgery. Some side effects that accompany the surgery include bleeding, swelling and slight pain.
Because mandibular tori are bone growths, you cannot get rid of them without surgical treatment from your dentist.
Dental tori factors include: Trauma or injury to the mouth's interior. Jawbone stress due to teeth grinding and clenching. Lifestyle/diet influences, such as vitamin deficiencies, fish consumption, and calcium-rich diets.
Most dental insurances will cover a portion of your costs, but check with your carrier to be sure if you are needing tori removal surgery. Medical insurances normally do not cover tori removal, but it is always prudent to check with your carrier just to make sure.
Torus mandibularis is a bony sublingual protuberance, typically near the canine and premolar teeth. The etiology of tori is unclear. Possible causes include masticatory hyperfunction, continued bone growth, genetic factors and environmental factors such as diet.
If removal of the tori is needed, surgery can be done to reduce the amount of bone, but the tori may reform in cases where nearby teeth still receive local stress.
The size of the tori may fluctuate throughout life but they do tend to get bigger over time. In some cases the tori can be large enough to touch each other in the midline of mouth. Consequently, it is believed that mandibular tori are the result of local stresses and not solely on genetic influences.
Tori are simply an abnormality; a random bone growth. They do not pose any immediate threat or harm once they have been identified in the mouth, though they do continue to grow over time, and have the potential to cause pain or discomfort if they become too large.
In mandibular tori reduction surgery, the surgeon exposes the bone by making a small incision in the gums overlying the tori, and gently shaves the bone to remove it. Once the surgeon confirms that the bone contour is smooth and the tori have been removed, the gums are stitched back together.
The prevalence of mandibular tori ranges from 5-40%. It is less common than bony growths occurring on the palate, known as torus palatinus. Mandibular tori are more common in Asian and Inuit populations, and slightly more common in males. In the United States, the prevalence is 7-10% of the population.
Believe it or not, clenching and grinding can actually change the shape of your bone. Though not particularly common, some people with bruxism develop bony growths on the inside of their lower jaw, under the tongue. These growths are called mandibular tori, and they are harmless and benign.
The exact cause of these benign bony overgrowths is not well understood, and therefore, their potential to recur after removal is also uncertain. Two case reports are presented in this article that provide evidence that at least some mandibular tori recur after surgical removal.
Tori are more common among males than females. (Although palatal tori are twice as likely to occur in women than men.) They appear to be genetic. Tori can appear in groups of various shapes and sizes, or you can have a just one torus.
The existence of torus mandibularis is not all too common — it's estimated that 12 to 25% of the adult population has these bony overgrowths in the lower jaw. People who have this tori mandibularis usually have two, but they can exist on their own.
Torus palatinus were found in 69.7% of women from all ethnic groups (P = 0.107). Slightly higher percentage was seen in the Hispanics, then the African Americans, with the least in the Caucasians.
This latest advancement in all-tissue laser dentistry provides an effective treatment option for removing bony growths such as tori exostosis.
Expect to be sore and swollen after your tori removal surgery for approximately 1 week. Complete healing after tori removal will take approximately 8 weeks. Remember, salt water rinses will help accelerate the healing process.
Surgery for tori reduction
At NYC SleepWell, this surgery is typically performed in the office in less than one hour. Recovery time for mandibular tori reduction is generally one to two days. There will be some swelling, but the pain can usually be reduced with over the counter medication.
Foods such as soups, pasta, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, macaroni & cheese etc. are best. Be sure to maintain adequate nutrition and drink plenty of fluids. Avoid alcohol (even beer and wine) and smoking until after your post-operative appointment.
About Mandibular Tori Removal
Traditional Surgery: You're given general anesthesia. The oral surgeon then digs out bothersome tori in the gums with a sharp tool. This old school method still gets the job done. Your mouth is tori-free.
This oral abnormality normally does not cause any serious damage. It will cause discomfort and if the growth continues, mandibular tori can cause pain or disturbed mouths functions.