Color Changes and Spots in the Mouth – Mouth and Dental Disorders

By

Bernard J. Hennessy

, DDS, Texas A&M University, College of Dentistry

Reviewed/Revised Feb 2022 | Modified Sep 2022

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Color changes in the mouth may be caused by

Bodywide diseases that can cause color changes in the mouth include the following:

• Anemia Overview of Anemia Anemia is a condition in which the number of red blood cells is low. Red blood cells contain hemoglobin, a protein that enables them to carry oxygen from the lungs and deliver it to all parts… read more (low blood count) may cause the lining of the mouth to be pale instead of the normal healthy reddish pink.

• Measles Measles Measles is a highly contagious viral infection that causes various cold-like symptoms and a characteristic rash. Measles is caused by a virus. Symptoms include fever, runny nose, hacking cough… read more , a viral disease, can cause spots to form inside the cheeks. These spots, called Koplik spots, resemble tiny grains of grayish white sand surrounded by a red ring.

• Addison disease Adrenal Insufficiency In adrenal insufficiency, the adrenal glands do not produce enough adrenal hormones. Adrenal insufficiency may be caused by a disorder of the adrenal glands, a disorder of the pituitary gland… read more and certain cancers (such as malignant melanoma Melanoma Melanoma is a skin cancer that begins in the pigment-producing cells of the skin (melanocytes). Melanomas can begin on normal skin or in existing moles. They may be irregular, flat or raised… read more ) can cause dark color changes.

• In a person with AIDS, purplish patches caused by Kaposi sarcoma Kaposi Sarcoma Kaposi sarcoma is a skin cancer that causes multiple flat pink, red, or purple patches or bumps on the skin. It is caused by human herpesvirus type 8 infection. One or a few spots may appear… read more may appear on the palate.

• Small red spots (called petechiae) on the palate (roof of the mouth) can be a sign of a blood disorder or infectious mononucleosis Infectious Mononucleosis Epstein-Barr virus causes a number of diseases, including infectious mononucleosis. The virus is spread through kissing. Symptoms vary, but the most common are extreme fatigue, fever, sore throat… read more .

Mouth conditions that cause color change may or may not represent a problem. For example, white areas can appear anywhere in the mouth and often are simply food debris that can be wiped away. White areas may also be caused by cheek biting or by rubbing the cheeks or tongue on a sharp part of a tooth or dental filling. Various conditions may cause white areas (such as a yeast infection [ candidiasis Candidiasis Candidiasis is a fungal infection caused by several species of the yeast Candida, especially Candida albicans. The most common type of candidiasis is a superficial infection of… read more ]), thick white folds (a hereditary condition called white sponge nevus), a white line running along the inside of the cheek opposite the teeth (linea alba), or a grayish white area of the mucosa (leukoedema).

Persistent white areas should always be evaluated by a dentist or doctor because they may be an early sign of mouth cancer Mouth and Throat Cancer Mouth and throat cancers are cancers that originate on the lips, the roof, sides, or floor of the mouth, tongue, tonsils, or back of the throat. Mouth and throat cancers may look like open sores… read more . Persistent red areas (called erythroplakia) may also be a sign of mouth cancer.

Examples of color changes in the mouth include the following:

• The mouth may have dark blue or black areas due to silver amalgam from a dental filling, graphite from falling with a pencil in the mouth, or a mole.

• Heavy cigarette smoking can lead to dark brown or black discoloration (usually of the gums) called smoker’s melanosis.

• Brown areas in the mouth can be hereditary. For example, darkly pigmented areas are particularly common among dark-skinned and Mediterranean people.

• Food pigments, aging, and smoking may cause teeth to darken or yellow.

• Minocycline, an antibiotic, discolors bone, which may show through near the teeth as gray or brown. Children’s teeth darken noticeably and permanently after even short-term use of tetracyclines (a class of antibiotic) by the mother during the second half of pregnancy or by the child during tooth development (specifically calcification of the crowns, which lasts until age 9).

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What Is A Melanotic Macule?

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Medically Reviewed By Colgate Global Scientific Communications

If you’ve noticed a dark spot on your lips or inside of your mouth, you’re far from alone. Many underlying causes can produce a darkening of spots on your lips or mouth, also known as hyperpigmentation. We’re here to help you understand when this is a melanotic macule, what the other causes are, and if you should talk to a professional.

Characteristics of a Melanotic Macule

Dark spots that appear on your mouth or lips have several causes. By far, the most common cause is known as a melanotic macule or non-cancerous hyperpigmentation of a mucous membrane. This occurs when one of your mucous membranes produces more pigment (melanin) than typical.

Your lesion may have a similar appearance to a freckle on your lip or mouth. Sometimes they appear on their own (solitary) or in groups. If this condition occurs in your mouth, it’s known as an oral melanotic macule, whereas on your lip, it’s known as a labial melanotic macule.

It’s challenging to self-diagnose the underlying cause of your melanotic macules or even to rule out other potential conditions. According to the Journal of Contemporary Dental Practice, melanotic macules account for 86.1% of oral lesions that involve melanin.

Pigmentation around your mouth may be melanotic macules, but may also be the result of:

• Inherited pigmentation
• Hormonal fluctuations, imbalance, or dysfunction
• Peutz-Jeghers syndrome
• Traumatic injury to the affected area
• Oral cancer
• Hereditary disorders, including hemochromatosis
• Smoking or the use of tobacco products
• Amalgam tattoo (pigment from materials produced outside of your body)

Diagnosis and When To See a Professional

If you’re concerned, remember that benign conditions are by far the most likely explanation of any dark spots in your mouth or lips, and professionals are specially trained to diagnose this condition.

According to the World Journal of Clinical Cases, this condition has numerous underlying causes, some of which are benign (harmless) and some that are potentially serious and require treatment.

Early diagnosis and treatment are important for some conditions that could explain the presence of your dark lesion if it turns out not to be a melanotic macule, so it’s a good idea to schedule an appointment with your dental or medical professional when you’re able.

To diagnose the cause of your dark lesion, your dental or medical professional may:

• Assess your individual medical history, including health issues and medications
• Examine it, looking especially at symmetry and uniformity of the spots
• In some cases, they may order a biopsy or further tests to determine the cause of the lesion

Treatment

If your dark lesion does turn out to be a melanotic macule, treatment will likely be unnecessary as the condition is benign. Schedule regular medical or dental visits to ensure your lesion’s appearance doesn’t display any concerning changes.

If you’re bothered by the appearance of your melanotic macule, there are cosmetic options available to treat or remove it. According to DermNet, options for removal may include:

• Excision (surgical removal)
• Cryotherapy (removal using cold)
• Laser or pulsing light (removal using high energy particles)

Rest assured that the dark spot on your lip is most likely a melanotic macule but could also be the sign of another, less common condition. Because they’re difficult to diagnose on your own, it’s best to check in with your dental or medical professional to rule out more serious concerns. You’ve done a great job informing yourself by reading up on what melanotic macules are and what you can do about them.

Oral Care Center articles are reviewed by an oral health medical professional. This information is for educational purposes only. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your dentist, physician or other qualified healthcare provider. 

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causes and photos, what it is

Bumps in the mouth: what they are, their causes and treatment

Any neoplasms in the oral cavity require a careful study of the clinical picture. It can be both a harmless growth and an alarm signal of the body. So, a lump in the sky in the mouth often occurs as a result of a cold or infection. Such a formation does not cause discomfort, it resolves on its own after immunity is strengthened. If the growth is accompanied by pain and other unpleasant symptoms, this may indicate a serious pathology. Only a doctor can determine the cause of the bumps and tell you what to do.

Why bumps appear on the palate

An outgrowth in the mouth appears as a result of blockage of blood vessels and stagnation of organic fluids, due to which inflammation develops in the mucous tissues. Among the most common causes of pathology are the following:

• bad habits – alcohol abuse and smoking;
• chronic diseases – tonsillitis, sinusitis;
• constant exposure to traumatic factors – improperly fitted crowns, under which infection gets, eating too hot food, resorption of lollipops, etc.;
• insufficient oral hygiene – food residues behind the teeth become a favorable environment for the development of pathogenic microflora;
• inflammation of the salivary glands;
• colds and infectious diseases;
• doctor’s mistakes – incorrect filling or tooth extraction.

A lump in the mouth can also occur in a child. In most cases, pathology occurs due to bruises, which are quite common in childhood.

Bumps in the mouth are also formed in case of cancerous diseases (leukoplakia and papillomatosis), which pose a great danger to human health and life.

General symptoms

A tumor formed in the oral cavity can be of different colors: white, dark red, blue, transparent yellow. Sometimes it’s soft, sometimes it’s thick. A bump that popped up against the background of one pathology may differ depending on the individual characteristics of the patient’s body: age, general condition of his body, bad habits, etc. Spots may also form in the affected area (discoloration of the mucosa). In some cases, numbness of a certain part of the oral cavity is felt, difficulties appear when swallowing, and the voice changes. With advanced forms of disease, the bumps can be damaged, which provokes bleeding with an unpleasant taste and smell.

Painful seals indicate inflammation and suppuration. General well-being worsens, body temperature may rise. Purulent intoxication of the body occurs. In this case, the growth of the bump is observed, it becomes hard and hot, the regional lymph nodes increase.

Diagnosis of diseases accompanied by the formation of lumps in the mouth

Tumors appeared in the mouth, and the question is, which doctor should I contact? This symptom is a prerequisite for visiting the dentist. To diagnose the disease, the doctor will first conduct a visual examination and palpation, and collect an anamnesis. A puncture is taken from the resulting bump and a bacteriological study is carried out, which allows you to determine the cause of its occurrence.

Based on the results obtained, the doctor determines the need for other diagnostic methods:

• general tests;
• x-ray;
• ultrasound;
• biopsy.

If the reason for the formation of a bump in the upper palate is beyond the competence of the dentist, the patient is assigned to consult other specialists (pediatrician, therapist, gastroenterologist, endocrinologist, hepatologist). Only after the diagnosis is made, the doctor will determine how to treat the disease.

The main types of seals in the mouth and how to treat them

If bumps appear on the palate, it is necessary to find out their nature. Depending on this, effective methods of treatment are selected.

Dental diseases

When periodontitis is advanced, a fistula forms near the tooth involved in the disease process. If periostitis (inflammation of the periosteum) develops, a flux may appear. At first, the bump is hard, but over time it becomes softer and filled with pus.

In case of periodontitis, the tooth is unsealed, the root canals are cleaned. After removing the exudate, oral baths are prescribed using special solutions. With periostitis, the dentist opens the tooth, places medicines in the cavity, closes it with a temporary filling. If this treatment fails, the tooth is removed.

Angioma

It is a benign formation, which in most cases is a congenital pathology in children. It is made up of blood vessels and is dark red in color. Sometimes it looks like a small ball on a leg. Lymphangioma, formed from the lymphatic vessels, often appears on the soft palate. It looks like a small cone with a bubble surface. First, the neoplasm grows inside, then a swelling appears that hurts.

The choice of treatment method depends on the type of vessels. The angioma is removed or reduced by sclerosing, administering alcohol, or using radiation therapy. If there is a risk of severe swelling, the formation is excised with a scalpel. An angioma in the form of a ball is removed using a galvanoacoustic loop.

Cyst

Pathology occurs as a result of obstruction of the salivary ducts, looks like a dense ball. Can reach a diameter of 12 mm. Such a neoplasm interferes with speaking and chewing food, increases the risk of infection of the mucous membrane and blood poisoning.

Remove the cyst under anesthesia and install a drain to drain the cystic fluid. Depending on the nature of the disease, the probability of recurrence is 3–50%.

Pemphigus

When the disease is formed, several small bumps that can spread to the gums, cheeks. After a while, the bubbles burst, forming sores.

Treatment of pathology is complex. In addition to antibiotics, anti-inflammatory hormonal drugs are prescribed. To speed up recovery, you must follow a special diet. It is necessary to give up salt, consume as many vitamins as possible. In advanced cases, a blood transfusion may be needed.

Myxoma

In pathology, bumps with a rough surface of a cloudy-white shade are formed on the hard palate. More often, myxoma is the result of untreated dental diseases.

Pathology is treated surgically. Together with the neoplasm, part of the healthy tissue is removed, which helps prevent recurrence. Many bumps are removed with liquid nitrogen, but this greatly increases the risk of new bumps forming.

Malignancies

Cancers can appear on the hard and soft palate. In the first case, bone tissues are affected, in the second – muscle and mucous membranes. With the progression of the disease, the lymph nodes are affected. The cancerous seal is removed only surgically with the use of radiation and chemotherapy.

Preventive measures

To reduce the risk of developing pathologies in the oral cavity, you should follow a number of recommendations:

• give up smoking and alcohol;
• normalize nutrition – do not eat hot, salty and spicy foods, introduce fermented milk and vegetable products into the diet;
• meticulous and regular oral hygiene;
• timely start treatment of any pathologies;
• periodically take vitamin complexes (after consultation with the doctor).

If you experience the slightest discomfort in the area of ​​the palate, you should see a dentist. Careful attention to your health prevents the development of complications.

Pimple on the gums: what to do if there is a pimple in the mouth, how to treat?

Neoplasms on the oral mucosa are a fairly common phenomenon. And if in some cases white bubbles on the gums may appear due to a mechanical injury to soft tissues or too hot coffee drunk, then in other situations, a seal on the gums can be a symptom of a serious disease of the dentoalveolar system. Let’s try to figure out in which cases it is enough to rinse the mouth with anti-inflammatory infusions of medicinal herbs, and when you need to rush to the dentist.

Acne in the mouth: what is it?

Pimples on the gums may look like small rashes or rather large nodes with pus inside. The oral mucosa is very delicate and sensitive to various external influences. And even a small external provocation is enough to threaten the development of inflammation. Especially if oral hygiene leaves much to be desired. With insufficient quality cleaning of the teeth, tongue, inner surface of the cheeks in the mouth, pathogenic microflora rapidly begins to multiply. Bacteria penetrate into microtraumas of the mucosa, through small wounds seep into deep tissues, causing pathological processes. Of course, not in every case, purulent or clear pimples will appear in the mouth. For pathology to develop, “favorable” factors are needed:

avitaminosis due to unbalanced diet;

smoking, drinking alcohol;

weakening of the body’s internal defenses after illness or antibiotics;

allergic reactions;

viruses;

Diseases of the teeth and the dentoalveolar system as a whole.

A white pimple on the gums, under the tongue, under the lip can be a manifestation of a viral disease – herpes, painful red sores – dots on the gums, tongue, palate, lip – a sign of stomatitis, a hard ball at the root of the tooth – a fistula, which indicates a serious pathological process inside the gums. The cause and nature of the appearance of education can only be determined by a doctor, after examining and performing the manipulations necessary for diagnosis. He will also prescribe treatment, taking into account what caused the appearance of a cyst, fistula or node on the soft tissues of the oral cavity.

Types of pimples on gums

Growths and pimples on the palate, tongue, gums and other soft tissues of the oral cavity are classified by dentists as follows:

Watery vesicles, accompanied by swelling, itching, may indicate the presence of the herpes virus and, as a consequence, stomatitis.

A white pimple in the mouth, in the absence of other specific symptoms, may be a simple wen.

Numerous nodules and white plaque on the gums may indicate soft tissue damage by Candida.

Bloody pimple on the gums is a sign of bacterial stomatitis, which is often found in children, including infants, due to mechanical microtrauma of the gums and tongue.

The cyst looks like a dense bag with pus inside. A mass of several centimeters in size can cause aching pain. When the bag breaks, black or bloody fluid may leak out.

Flux appears as a result of periostitis. A red pimple on the palate or gums is accompanied by swelling of the cheeks, swelling of neighboring tissues. If the anomaly is not treated, extensive inflammation forms with the formation of a channel for the removal of pus. Treatment of a fistula on the gums is a long and complex process. It is better not to allow such a complication, but to consult a dentist at the first signs of the development of the pathological process.

What complications can develop if acne on the gums is not treated?

It has already been described above why formations appear on the soft tissues of the oral cavity, and what they are. Well, what will happen if the pathology is not treated or treated at home without the supervision of a doctor?

The spread of the inflammatory process to neighboring tissues can lead to damage to the connective tissues. The fixation of the tooth weakens, it begins to stagger, the risk of falling out increases. And purulent abscesses threaten bone tissue. This can result in jaw deformity, necrosis, blood poisoning and the spread of infection throughout the body.

Well, the formations also hurt, it becomes difficult to chew food and even drink water. It is also necessary to be treated because the symptoms can negatively affect the quality of life. Be sure to contact the dentist if the pimple burst. After all, the infection with the contents of the bag spreads to neighboring areas, and if the pathology is detected in the child. After all, his dentoalveolar system is still being formed. And it is important to exclude all pathologies.

Pimple on the gum: treatment

Many patients are interested in whether it is possible to treat formations on the gums, lips, teeth at home. For some conditions that do not require radical measures, treatment can be carried out at home. But it should be appointed by a specialist. For example, with bacterial stomatitis in adults and children, it is useful to rinse the mouth with special pharmaceutical products. In viral diseases, treatment of the mucous and soft tissues with antiviral drugs is recommended. Also, for a speedy recovery and relief of symptoms, you will have to follow a few rules:0005

· Until full recovery will require the rejection of hot, cold, spicy, sour dishes;

Food should be soft, not damaging the gums;

Special attention is paid to proper oral hygiene, which will be explained in detail by the attending physician;

Antibiotics are prescribed in some cases.

You can’t just pop a pimple. To get rid of a serious pathology, such as osteomyelitis or a purulent cyst, this method will not work. And it’s easy to complicate an already difficult situation.

Clinical treatment

Surgical intervention is prescribed if conservative therapy has not brought results and the patient’s condition is threatening with serious complications. The method of removing the formation in the clinic is determined by the dentist after the diagnosis. The doctor conducts a visual examination, identifies the build-up, and if necessary, prescribes an additional x-ray examination to assess the degree of damage to the jaw tissues.

Purulent cyst, flux is opened with a scalpel. The dentist cleans the cavity from pus, conducts antibacterial treatment. Very often, the only way to stop pathological processes is to remove a tooth if its destruction has led to the spread of infection. Manipulations are carried out under local anesthesia. The patient is prescribed a course of antibiotics, immunostimulating drugs. Drug therapy should help the patient recover faster.

Important : Any abnormal conditions are easier to treat in the initial stages, so doctors strongly recommend that at the first signs of the development of pathologies, with any physiological abnormalities, with discomfort and pain in the gums, bleeding or looseness of soft tissues, you should seek the advice of a dentist. Do not start self-medication without a confirmed diagnosis.

Questions and answers on the topic “Formations on the gums, palate and other soft tissues of the oral cavity”

A watery bubble appeared in the sky.

This is dangerous ❓

This formation can be caused by a burn of the mucous membrane after eating a hot meal or drinking a drink. It can also indicate serious diseases such as herpetic stomatitis, vesicovascular syndrome, or exudative erythema. Only a dentist can make a diagnosis. If the pimple hasn’t gone away after a few hours (as is often the case with a burn), see your doctor.

The doctor diagnosed the child with Candidiasis of the oral mucosa. What to do ❓

The appearance of a white coating on the oral mucosa can indeed be caused by Candida. Thrush develops with low immunity, often occurs in children whose protective functions of the body are just being formed. The disease is treated with antifungal drugs.

Which pharmacy products are suitable for rinsing the mouth with stomatitis ❓

For these purposes, any anti-inflammatory, astringent, analgesic herbal preparations (chamomile, calendula, yarrow, oak bark), furatsilin solution, a weak solution of manganese permanganate, a solution of alcohol tincture of propolis are suitable.