A Small Lump on the Inside of the Lip: Fast Recovery Through an Accurate Diagnosis of a Mucocele at Ogeum Station Dental Clinic

Hello.

I’m Director Seo Hoyon of Ogeum Station Dental Clinic.

Sometimes while eating,

you may have bitten your cheek or lip

at least once.

You may have thought it would subside in a few days,

but if it does not go away easily even as time passes,

or if it feels like it is gradually getting bigger,

it may not be a simple injury.

Today, I’ll explain the main causes of these lip lumps:

mucocele and traumatic fibroma.

1. How a mucocele develops

A mucocele is a benign lesion that forms

when mucus collects beneath the lip or

oral mucosa.

Inside our mouth, there are small salivary glands

scattered throughout that secrete saliva

to help soften food and keep the mucosa moist.

What happens if the passage that carries saliva

is damaged or blocked for some reason?

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The mucus that should be secreted cannot escape

and becomes trapped in the surrounding tissue.

As a result, as shown in the photo prepared by Ogeum Station Dental Clinic,

the pooled mucus swells up and appears in the form

commonly described as a blister or lump.

When the pain is not severe,

people may think it will improve with time,

even so, it usually swells gradually

and often repeatedly gets larger and smaller.

2. Commonly affected areas

It is often found under the tongue, on the inner cheek mucosa,

and in the floor of the mouth,

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but the area where it commonly appears most often is

the lower lip, as marked by Ogeum Station Dental Clinic.

This is because it is a place that is frequently bitten

unconsciously while eating or speaking,

and the salivary duct is irritated during that process.

Accidentally biting the lip while eating,

a minor burn from hot food,

and repeated irritation from the teeth

are all risk factors.

3. The key difference from traumatic fibroma

However, there is something that must be distinguished

from a mucocele.

That is traumatic fibroma,

and although the two may look similar on the surface,

there is a clear difference.

Traumatic fibroma is a problem formed when

connective tissue thickens due to chronic irritation,

and when pressed directly with a finger,

it feels firm.

It feels as if a small pea is embedded beneath

the mucosa,

and its shape does not easily change.

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On the other hand, the mucocele mentioned by Ogeum Station Dental Clinic

is filled with fluid inside,

so when it is actually touched,

it feels soft and wave-like.

When pressed, its shape temporarily changes,

then fills back up again once the hand is removed.

It may be easier to understand if you picture

a balloon filled with water.

Based on these palpation findings,

the two lesions are clinically distinguished accurately

before deciding on the treatment direction.

4. The process of resolving it through excision

If the size is small,

natural absorption or observation may be sufficient,

but when it becomes quite large,

active treatment is needed.

The method often used in such cases

is excision under local anesthesia.

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The lesion is carefully incised

and the mucus pooled inside is sufficiently drained.

However, if only the mucus is removed and the procedure is finished,

the same area may fill with mucus again,

making recurrence highly likely.

Therefore, the surrounding salivary tissue that produced the mucus

is also removed together,

which helps lower the recurrence rate.

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After the procedure is completed, the incision is neatly sutured,

and once the wound has stabilized, the stitches are removed.

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The procedure itself usually does not take long,

and even after treatment on the same day,

daily life is not significantly affected,

so there is no need to feel too burdened.

5. Closing remarks

When a problem occurs inside the mouth,

you need to identify exactly what it is.

If you dismiss it too lightly,

the situation may worsen,

and another serious problem cannot be ruled out either.

The smaller the lesion,

if you receive appropriate treatment through an accurate differential diagnosis,

as shown earlier by Ogeum Station Dental Clinic,

the recovery speed is also fast and the risk of recurrence is low.

Therefore, do not hesitate and

I recommend that you visit for an examination soon.

This has been Ogeum Station Dental Clinic.

Thank you.

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