Bill Klaproth (host): This is OMS Voices, an AAOMS Podcast. I'm Bill Klaproth and with me is Dr. David Kim, who is here to discuss what to do when you find a bump in your mouth. Dr. Kim, thank you for being here.

Dr. David Kim: Great to be here, Bill. Thank you for having me.

Bill Klaproth (host): Absolutely. So what should someone do, should they find a bump or growth in their mouth when brushing their teeth?

Dr. David Kim: Well, obviously patients could be alarmed if they noticed something in their mouth like that and, possibly rightfully so, but understand not every bump in your mouth is necessarily pathological. It could probably be seen by a specialist, such as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. Possibly the first place that I would recommend that they go would be to their primary dentist. Unless, if they're under the care of an oral maxillofacial surgeon already.

Bill Klaproth (host): Can a bump just sometimes appear and it's an irritation and then go away. So, is that something where if you have a bump longer than two weeks, say then make an appointment?

Dr. David Kim: I maybe wouldn't wait two weeks and especially if the bump comes with some other symptoms such as pain or numbness or something like that. Then I'd probably want them to see somebody to either treat it or refer it for further evaluation relatively soon.

Bill Klaproth (host): You mentioned pathological in the previous answer. What does pathology mean? What is that?

Dr. David Kim: It would basically mean anything that's not normally present. And in the oral cavity, it could represent from a tumor or cysts or lesions on the gums and the mucosa around the mouth. So, obviously tumors can come in a benign or malignant varieties, and most of the time, things that pop up in the mouth will be benign and rarely would we be dealing with malignancies.

Bill Klaproth (host): Okay. So, what are the signs and symptoms then of oral head and neck pathology, what should we look for?

Dr. David Kim: You know, some early signs might be a white patch or a red patch on the gum tissue. Sometimes it can be mixed with white and red patches. Any kind of ulcer or raised area. Areas that kind of bleed in incessantly would be something that I'd be concerned about too. Other things to keep in mind might be numbness or pain. Those things can indicate something's pathological or not quite right.

Bill Klaproth (host): So are there any other symptoms? What should one know of noticing something like you just mentioned?

Dr. David Kim: Difficulty swallowing, hoarseness in your speech that doesn't clear up by clearing your throat and things like that. As I mentioned pain or numbness in areas that don't seem like that that should be there is a clear sign that there was something not quite right. If you do notice any kind of patches on the lining of your mouth, those things probably should be checked out if they don't resolve on their own relatively soon.

Bill Klaproth (host): So as we're doing the interview, I'm like "Hmm. Do I have any bumps on my mouth?" So can someone perform a self-exam to catch signs early?

Dr. David Kim: You can, mouth or oral, head and neck self-exams may not be as typical as some other anatomic parts of your body. But doing it while you're doing your bathroom routines, brushing your teeth and things. You do need some kind of light because a dark area inside your mouth, so having a cell phone with a flashlight on it can be helpful. Removing anything that's in your mouth, such as dentures or any kind of prosthetics that way. And then, looking at the areas under your lips, using your fingers to kind of feel for those areas can be part of that exam. Looking around the teeth as far back as you can see, and then sort of tilting your head back and looking at the roof of your mouth would be a part of that too.

Bill Klaproth (host): Okay, those are great tips for someone to do if they wanted to do a self-examination to potentially catch something early. Why should we think OMS, if we feel a bump or a red patch or see a discoloration in our mouth, where does the OMS come in?

Dr. David Kim: Yeah, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, we're the specialist for the oral cavity- surgical specialist for the oral cavity. So, I can't think of any other specialty in medicine or dentistry that would be more appropriate to evaluate these types of lesions. I am an oral and maxillofacial surgeon myself, and the broad extent of my training is in pathology of the oral cavity and the head and neck. So, that's where we kind of have the most of our expertise and patients who come in with those problems will generally be treated by an oral maxillofacial surgeon.

Bill Klaproth (host): Yeah. So you have specific training for this. You are the expert in diagnosing and surgically treating with pathology of the head, neck and mouth. Is that right?

Dr. David Kim: That's correct.

Bill Klaproth (host): So this has really been interesting because you know, now, and then we all get a little bump, But it's good to know if it lasts for a while. better. Go see an OMS. So as we talk about what to do, if you find a bump in your mouth, any final thoughts or additional thoughts Dr. Kim.

Dr. David Kim: Yeah, depending on what the symptom or the actual condition looks like it might be, it's possible that a biopsy might be necessary at some point. And that's usually done in the office setting under local anesthesia. Sometimes that biopsy could be delayed just to see if the lesion will resolve with some time or doing some local measures to try to alleviate symptoms at that point. So, if it doesn't resolve within a couple of weeks, I would say anywhere between one to four weeks then possibly a biopsy might be indicated.

Bill Klaproth (host): Well, great advice and good to know all of that. And Dr. Kim, thank you for your time today. It's been very educational.

Dr. David Kim: Thank you Bill. Appreciate it.

Bill Klaproth (host): Absolutely. That's Dr. David Kim. And for more information in the full podcast library, please visit MYOMS.org. And if you found this podcast interesting, please share it on your social media and don't forget to subscribe. Thanks for listening.