Bump on Roof of Mouth-Painful, Hard, Small, Sinus & Colored

Bumps on the roof your is a common condition for many people. These lumps are at times painful, hard, of sizes and color for instance red and white. Read on to find out more about the causes and treatment options

Bump on Roof of Mouth Causes & Meaning

Meaning

This refers to an inflammation, swelling or a growth that sometimes increases in size. The inflammation may be hard, painful, and small or appear colored. The bump may develop on either the soft or the hard palate. However, they also occur on the lips or the cheeks.

Causes

There are various reasons you may get bumps on the palate. These are described below;

Canker sores

These are small, non-contagious ulcers, mostly red or white in color. These sores cause discomfort while you are eating or even talking. They are of two types; the simple canker sores which appear at about four times per year and the complex canker sores.

According to the American Academy of Otolaryngology, the lumps develop on your mouth, tongue, lips or cheeks and they can only appear on the soft palate not the hard palate.

They can last for 5 to 10 days but if they persist, you should seek medical advice from an expert. It is also advisable that you use benzocaine.

Cold sores

These are blisters filled with fluid on the lips and sometimes on the mouth’s palate caused by herpes simplex virus. It is characterized by itching of the lips surface before blister formation, and painful blisters filled with watery liquid which eventually appear as an open sore.

Unlike canker sores, cold sores are highly contagious especially during the healing process which takes a few weeks. It is recommended that you use Valtrex to speed up the healing process.

Injuries

Injuries such as burns from hot liquids and cuts may also cause lumps on the palate. During the healing process of a burn, you can develop a blister that contains fluid. Moreover, cuts can swell bringing about the feeling of a lump.

Often, the injuries of the mouth are accompanied by pain, bleeding of the cut tissue or a burning sensation. The wounds heal fast on their own though you can use salt, water or sodium peroxide for faster healing.

Smoking

This is one of the most common causes of bumps on the palate. You will notice a group of small white bumps with red sinkhole in the middle on the surface of the hard palate. This state is known as nicotine stomatitis and lasts for 1 to 2 weeks.

Lumps caused by smoking may appear reddish at the center. The only way to manage bumps in the mouth caused by smoking is to stop the act.

Torus Palatinus

This refers to the projection of a bone that appears on the palate of the mouth. In most cases, the condition results when you grind your teeth.

Unlike other causes of bumps, this requires no treatment but if the condition worsens then you can see a doctor for medication which in most cases is removal of the protruding bone.

Mucoceles

This is a harmless cyst like bulge that occurs due to blockage of the salivary glands in the mouth. Mostly, this occurs when there is an obstruction on the mouth’s palate which traps saliva forming a tiny pinkish bump.

The cyst causes no harm or pain but when they grow bigger, they may cause a lot of discomfort. The mucous cysts heal themselves though if the condition persists you should see a dentist or a specialist for checkup and necessary treatment.

Tooth abscess.

This refers to a condition whereby a painful infection occurs at the root of your tooth or in other cases between the gum and the tooth. This infection is caused by bacteria in the nerve of the tooth.[1] As a result of this, the bumps develop on the slanting edge of the palate.

In most cases, the infection is manifested by a foul odor, bitter taste in the mouth and sometimes accompanied by fever. For this, the health specialist may decide to get off the abscission from your mouth and under severe conditions a surgery might be carried out to eliminate the infected tissue.

Hyperdontia

Another cause of lumps on the roof of your mouth is hyperdontia. This is a condition that is caused by development of too many teeth. Often, this occurs when you fail to get rid of your milk teeth causing extra teeth to develop on the roof of the mouth.

This leads to facial pain, headache and jaw pain. This can be treated if diagnosed (mostly through x-rays). The dentist can remove the extra teeth without causing any harm to the rest of your teeth.

Pictures

What does it indicate when the bump is;

Sore/Painful

When the lump hurts, it indicates that the bump has been bruised or injured mostly when eating. Moreover, there are cases when the bumps can hurt especially if it is caused by tooth abscesses and oral infections. If sometimes you get a bump that is painless, it is wise that you don’t assume it since some growths indicate serious diseases such as cancer.

Hard

A hard lump in most cases is due to protrusion of a bone on the palate surface. Abscesses are frequently common with hard bumps. Eventually the hard bumps grow in size with time. In cases where this persists, then you should seek medical advice from an expert.

In addition to this, hard bumps may be caused by Epstein pearls which are white-yellow cyst, oral cancer or incisive papilla.

How is linked with a sinus infection?

Sinuses are hollow cavities in the facial bones of a person’s skull which lie above the eyebrow on the bridge of the nose and beneath the cheek bone. Sinus infection, (also known as maxillary sinus growth), is a growth on the mouth’s roof. According to Health Life Med, these growths occur on the maxilla bone.

When maxilla bone is infected with cancer, the growths can project through the upper palate and seem like lumps. Due to this, your palate swells and in addition to this you experience nasal sores and scabs. A sinus is treated depending on the severity of your infection by use of antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs among others.

Little, Tiny or small

Sometimes, these small lumps are harmless. Despite this, they are highly contagious making it easier for your partner to develop them. They are as a result of either allergic reaction to food, drug or in some cases a viral infection on the mouth.

White

White lumps on the mouth may be due to either illness or even health conditions. Some of these bumps are due to an allergen but sometimes they are sexually transmitted and symptoms vary among individuals. These are caused by food allergies or other conditions such as irritation especially on taking hot foods or even too cold foods.

According to Dr. Sindisiwe Van Zyl who specializes in HIV and primary health care, oral thrush is the most common cause of white lumps on the mouth.

Moreover, canker sores, mucous cysts and inflamed papilla may be a possible cause of white bumps. This condition has no cure however; it can be treated by use of topical creams to alleviate the symptoms.

Red

Red lumps may indicate many possible causes and whenever you experience such then the best way to go about it is to seek medical attention since most of the times the cause is unlikely to be what you suppose. The red lumps may indicate canker sores which are discussed above.

Additionally, candidiasis may also be indicated by presence of the red lumps. Coxsackievirus infection, erythrikipia which is the thinning of the lining of the mouth and oral herpes may also be manifested by presence of red lumps.

It is behind front teeth

In most cases a lump behind the front is caused by failure to practice good dental hygiene which leads to formation of a plaque on the teeth due to the microbial action of bacteria.

These bacteria cause the swelling of your gum. For instance, if you fail to properly brush or floss your teeth, the food debris cause decay and inflammation of the neglected region which eventually is acted upon by the bacteria.

Therefore, you should practice proper dental hygiene so as to prevent the swelling or formation of a lump behind the front teeth.

It is in combination with sore throat

When a lump on your mouth is in combination with a sore throat, a condition known as mucositis, it indicates oral yeast infection. This infection, which looks like a cover of cottage cheese on the surface inside your mouth, worsens the condition of any other sores you have on your body. Some treatments of the breast cancer may also cause mouth and sore throat.

It is itchy

The itching of a mouth is more of a condition that disease which is the irritation of the upper palate of the mouth. This condition is caused by reaction to certain environmental aspects such as allergies which may occur as a result of dust, pollen or molds. If this is the case then it’s advisable you use antihistamines.

According to Dr. Richard Jurevic of the US, an itchy rash on the roof of the mouth may be a sign of Oral Herpes. Canker sores and Oral thrush may also cause itch on the mouth’s roof. It is advised that you reduce the consumption of hard foods that cause the itching and drink warm water to sooth the itching.

Why does the Roof of my Mouth Hurt but No Bumps

Generally, the roof of your mouth hurts due to the following reasons;

• Ingestion of hot substances since it is very sensitive. Due to this you can develop sores or form a blister on extreme cases. It is advised that you take cold fluid and concentrate it on the burnt part to soothe the affected area.
• Mouth infection can also lead to hurting of the palate especially when having a bacterial or viral infection without the formation of lumps. You should use antibiotics alongside vitamins B and C for treatment and strengthening of the immune system.
• Eating irritating substances such as tobacco causes hurt on the palate. For this case it’s advised that you take bland soft foods such as bananas to prevent further irritation hence minimizing the hurting effect.
• Pain on the mouth’s roof may also be as a result of Ulcers caused by poor dental hygiene which might cause infections and eventually hurting of the palate.
• In some cases, hurt on the palate is caused by allergies such as dust and pollen. It is advisable you avoid dusty region or take antihistamines tablets.
• Additionally, pain on the mouth may be as a result of burning mouth syndrome. This condition is characterized by a burn like irritation of a dry mouth. This disease is mostly unknown and occurs in post-menopausal women.[2]

There are more specific reasons why hurting of the mouth’s roof occur. They include the following;

Eating

When eating food, pain in the mouth may be caused by several factors. These may include;

• Deficiency of vitamin E which causes cracking of lips and sometimes the tongue and on eating of the food you may feel hurt.
• Furthermore, little hydration on the mouth may cause hurt while eating especially the hard foods. For this case, it is wise to eat some juicy foods such as fruits before having a meal.
• Occasionally, it is usually suggested that hurt when eating occurs due to swollen palate caused by mouth breathing. You are recommended to take honey before having a meal.

Swallowing

Pain during the swallowing of food is very common and is generally caused by either allergies or infections which may include:

• This is the swelling of the lymph nodes. The condition is contagious and is caused by a variety of viruses and bacteria such as Streptococcal bacteria.[3]
• Strep throat, which is a bacterial infection, caused by group A Streptococcus bacteria.
• This is described as the inflammation of the esophagus.
• Acid reflux. This is a condition occurs as a result of food flowing from the stomach to the esophagus causing heartburns.
• Additionally, Oral thrush causes hurt of the mouth when swallowing.

Why does cereal hurt the roof of my mouth?

When eating or sometimes after eating cereals, the roof of the mouth hurts because the cereals cut the soft tissues of the palate causing hurt on the mouth. Moreover, some cereals contain ingredients that may cause irritation of the mucosa which eventually makes you experience some pain.[4]

Sources

[1]https://www.colgate.com/en-us/oral-health/conditions/mouth-sores-and-infections/sore-in-roof-of-mouth-causes-1115

[2]www.foodpyramid.com/conditions-disorders/roof-of-mouth-hurts-10932/+&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ke

[3]https://www.healthline.com/health/tonsillitis

[4]http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:7fnWdEUVF8YJ