Thorn in the flesh

Mandibular tori are bony ridges which grow on the inside of the jaw below the tongue. It is estimated that around 30% of the population have some sort of tori in their mouths. For the most part, no one ever realizes or cares that these ridges exist (except in the case where dentures are required). I (Jade) have always had fairly large tori in my mouth...the only problem I ever had was that--one time--an Excedrin pill actually lodged itself below and between the tori and I had to frantically work to get it unwedged before the pill dissolved in my mouth with its yucky flavor.

Several months ago, I felt something on the lower side of the right torus. I initially thought it was a sore, but when I used my finger to investigate, discovered that a bone spur had actually protruded through the skin. My dentist referred me to an (excellent) oral surgeon, who stated that tori could indeed change size and that the only treatment would be to remove the torus. Also, because the ridges could grow, it would be advisable to have both removed. I scheduled the operation for the afternoon of April 14th. It was required for me to fast at least 8 hours prior to the start of the surgery.

The operation did involve IV anesthesia and the removal of a significant amount of bone from the inside of my jaw. Following the removal, the gum tissue was sutured using stitches brought between the teeth. The operation took longer than expected (due to how much bone needed to be removed). I hardly remember anything afterwards, other than brief flashes of being led to the "recovery room", Ginger talking to the pharmacy drive-thru, and me changing into my sleeping clothes at home. Ginger reported that I went to bed around 5:00 PM. I was given multiple medications to reduce swelling as well as percoset. That evening about 8:00 PM, Ginger woke me up and gave me the medications, including the pain medication along with a bowl of icecream. I was out of it and my mouth was very sore. I went back to bed. About 2:00 AM I woke up to use the restroom. Because I had had no water and very little food for 18 hours, I was extremely lightheaded and needed Ginger's assistance to get back to the bedroom.

At 6:30 the next morning I woke up feeling really well. I gave the babies their milk and fed them breakfast, and--because I still felt good--went into work for a half-day. I needed no further pain medication other than ibuprofen...I was very pleased at how well things were going.

About a week later as the gums continued to heal, the stitches became more painful and some of them began to dissolve. There was a particularly sore spot at the back-right of my mouth, and the tissue even looked white. Ginger and I both assumed that it was some sort of infection. However, when I felt with my finger, I recognized that the white spot was actually exposed bone tissue. For some reason, the stitches had given way and the gum tissue had receded, leaving an area about the size of the circles of paper one gets after using a hole punch. The oral surgeon assured me that the gum tissue would eventually grow over the exposed area. He did also smooth out the area using some sort of hand implement (with the intent of making the surface more welcoming to the gum tissue).

I waited...

As the month of May began to pass, the area did shrink in size to about the size of a split pea. Then, on May 17th, something else happened. My tongue started to hurt back in the area. I investigated, and found that a small shard of bone was protruding from the exposed bone area. Every time I spoke and made certain sounds (especially 'L'), my tongue would rub against the spur and would be cut. It was very sharp and very unpleasant. Both Ginger and I could see the spur also.

That evening about 9:30 PM, I brushed my teeth, took one last look at the thorn in my flesh, said my prayers (of course asking Heavenly Father to allow this to be taken care of quickly), and went to bed.

The next morning, May 18th, I woke up at 6:00 AM to get ready for work. I again brushed my teeth and brushed fairly vigrously back in the offending area. While rinsing, I noticed a tinge of blood, so I decided to look at the current state of affairs. Using the mirror, I peered into my mouth at the back-right corner. The spur was gone. The exposed area of gum tissue (which--remember--only 8 hours before--had been the size of a split pea) was gone. There was only gum tissue. The gum tissue was not "good-as-new" and soreness around the edges of the once-exposed patch had been responsible for the tinge of blood in my rinse, but there was no exposed bone. In a period of 8 hours, the spur which had been cutting my tongue, as well as the exposed bone, had completely disappeared.

This represents a miracle of healing, unexpected and certainly minor, but still very real.