Torus is a bony growth in the mouth, with two types: mandibular and palatal. It is usually not a cause for concern unless it interferes with eating or drinking. Surgery may be required, and there may be a genetic component to its formation.
A torus is a bony growth in the mouth. There are two types of tori: mandibular tori and palatal tori. As a general rule, a bull is not a major cause for concern and no medical action should be taken when diagnosed, unless it interferes with the patient’s ability to eat or drink. If a bull needs to be removed, the surgery is usually done by a maxillofacial surgeon. The growth is sometimes mistaken for cancer when patients first discover it.
In the case of a torus palatinus, the version that forms on the palate, the growth always appears along the midline of the palate. It starts as a small bump that slowly grows into a swollen bump over time. The torus is not painful and the patient generally will not notice it until it becomes particularly large or is directed by a doctor. Sometimes, the area around the torus ulcerates, but otherwise the site is usually perfectly healthy. There appears to be a genetic component to palatal bulls, although they can be caused by environmental factors as well.
A mandibular torus always appears within the lower jaw. Classically, bulls appear on both sides of the jaw, in the same location. Teeth and jaw grinding appear to contribute to the formation of the mandibular tori, and genetics may also be involved. This type of torus can interfere with fitting of the prosthesis and, in cases where the projection becomes large, can make it difficult for the patient to eat, in which case removal may be recommended.
If a bull needs to be removed, the patient will be placed under anesthesia to allow the surgeon to work. He or she will either cut the torus completely or shrink the growth down to a smaller size, depending on how large the growth is and where it is located. After oral surgery, the patient will usually need to take preventive antibiotics so that the infection does not set in, and some dietary restrictions may need to be followed until the site heals. Fortunately, the mouth tends to heal very quickly, so patients can usually return to a normal diet shortly after surgery.
Bony growths like tori can also appear in other regions of the body, but these growths are known as tori only if they are found in the previously mentioned locations. When removed and dissected, these growths tend to consist of mature, dense bone, and there may be pockets in the bone filled with fatty tissue and deposits. The reasons why bull trainers are not fully understood; in some cases, they appear to be an indicator that a patient has a condition such as temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ), while in other cases, the growths appear to be completely random.
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