AboutJoel S. Teig, DMD, FABOMS Expertise I am a board certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon and I am available to answer questions related to tooth extractions, implant insertion, facial recontruction, facial and oral tumor removal, TMJ dysfunction and various successful treatments, including surgery if all else fails, and occlusal discrepancy requiring orthognathic or jaw surgery.
Experience Board Certified Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon practicine for over 20 years. Assistant Clincal Professor and State University School of Dentistry.
Organizations American Dental Association, American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
Education/Credentials BA
DMD
Awards and Honors National Honor Society (OKU), Philadelphia County Dental Society, Mosby Book Award, Oral Surgery Honors, Summa Cum Laude
Question Hi again :) Thank you so much for your reply. I looked up mucocele on the internet and the pictures it showed looked very much like what I have. And it said one of the causes is from biting on your lips which I have had a bad habit of my whole life (sorry I probably should have mentioned that originally). But I have a couple more questions. If it is a mucocele, do they come and go? Because this always pops up at the same time every day - right before I'm about to go to bed, and then when I wake up in the morning the swelling and the big lump have gone down. Also, if this was caused by biting my lower lip...I've made a super effort to not bite these last few days, does it make sense that it would still pop up if I haven't been biting? And my last question, if it is a mucocele, do they go away on their own? Or should I go see someone (dentist, doctor). Although it's hard to see someone since it seems to only pop up late at night. Thanks so much for your help! Have a great day~ Erin :)
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Followup To
Question -
Hi! I need your help!
This has happened to me twice in the past week. All of a sudden my lower lip (the inside of the lip, not the outside) will start to throb. Then about 5-10 minutes later my lip will get swollen and if I pull my lip out and look on the inside of the lip (I guess it's the mouth lining?) there's a white colored bump the size of about a dime. It almost looks like a big blister, but if I touch it, it doesn't feel like there's any fluid inside.
Here's the weird thing though, both times it's happened it's been at the same time of day. It's always right before I get into bed at night. The only thing I do before I go to bed is brush and floss my teeth, and I haven't changed floss/toothpaste/toothbrush lately - so I don't know if it's a coincidence that it's happened at the same exact time both times or not. But when I wake up in the morning it's always better. Any insight on what this could be?
Just a bit about me if it helps...I'm 30 years old and take good care of myself - I work as a fitness trainer so I get 5-6 days of exercise a week, I don't smoke or drink at all, and I'm a vegetarian. The only health problems I have are allergies and panic attacks (which I take medication for, it's called Luvox).
Thanks so much for any insight you might have!
~Erin :)
Answer -
Erin - Your description sounds like a "mucocele". A mucocele is a collection of saliva produced by the minor salivary glands located deep in the lip. For some reason the duct which allows saliva produced by the minor salivary glands to escape into your mouth is blocked. The most common causes of this are minor trauma. This trauma can be from a direct blow to the lip, a habit of biting the lip or a rough surface of a tooth opposing the mucocele.
These cyst like collections of saliva should be removed. If not they can eventually become inflamed and infected. you should know that if you pop the "blister" it only causes the next episode of saliva collection to be larger. The saliva sac eventually dissects it way through muscles and causes more minor salivary glands to be blocked.
It is, therefore, important that you contact a local oral and maxillofacial surgeon to have the mucocele removed. This is usually a rather simple procedure, but one which is necessary.
The sooner you take care of this the better the outcome.
Answer Erin - First of all--it does not go away by itself. It probably breaks at night due to biting while you are asleep (common to habits).
You should only see an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. They are trained to recognize even when popped and are knowledgable in the removal. Do not see your dentist, they are not trained in removal.
