Mandibular tori will not shrink or decrease in size unless you have it surgically removed because that is the nature of bone. Rather than shrinking, what it can do is grow larger.
Will it go away on its own?
It's impossible for mandibular tori to naturally shrink or go away on its own because it is composed of hard tissue, bone. In other words, it is not composed of soft tissue so it can't deflate like one.
What it is: Essentially tori are bony overgrowths that have formed in your mouth. They can appear on the palate (maxilla) or on the lower jaw (mandible).
Perhaps the best analogy we can give you is a bone spur or bunion on your foot. They are both excessive growths of hard tissue (bone) which will remain for the rest of your life unless you surgically intervene.
Will mandibular tori keep growing?
Mandibular tori can be unpredictable because they can either continue to enlarge over time or stay the same size. Both outcomes are possible and the only thing that we haven't seen or heard about is the tori/torus shrinking.
It can keep growing: A common reason for people to have mandibular tori removed is due to their continued growth. As they enlarge, they can decrease tongue space in the mouth or begin to trap food due to their large size/position.
The intraoral photo above shows a mandibular tori that has grown up to the level of tooth 20 which is the lower left premolar.
It created a situation where there is a small gap between the torus and the premolar thus creating a FOOD TRAP.
The patient often complained about food getting stuck between the bony overgrowth and their tooth.
It can stay the same size. Fortunately for most people, after formation the tori may not change in size throughout its lifetime. That means it can potentially stay the same size and hopefully not cause you any issues.
It will not shrink. Torus mandibularis is a bony overgrowth and bone simply does not go away unless you have some type of systemic bone disease such as osteoporosis. If that is the case, you've bigger problems to worry about than bony growth in your lower jaw.
How to shrink mandibular tori
The only way to shrink/reduce the size of mandibular tori is via surgical removal by a dentist. This treatment is a specialty procedure that is typically performed by oral surgeons so if you're interested in having it done, you should seek one out.
Procedure details:
Dental billing code - D7473
Description - Removal of torus mandibularis
What to expect:
Local anesthesia.
Surgical excision via drilling and chiseling.
Dissolvable or non-dissolvable stitches will be used.
Below is a video demonstrating the procedure by our colleague, Dr Alexander Antipov.
Ultimately, what this all means is that all DIY means are futile and you need to seek professional help if you want your tori shrunken.
Verdict
In summary, if you have mandibular tori or torus in your mouth, it will not shrink nor go away on its own at least not naturally. If you're concerned about your condition, you can seek a consultation with one of our dentists in Long Island City. We can give you a referral to have it removed if it is deemed necessary.
