elvenkayt's Blog

gladitsover, thank you for posting your thorough and somewhat humorous story. I'm in the military and the dentist I went to made a big deal out of it and told me it had to come out TODAY. Of course since nothing happens fast in the Navy, this did concern me. And then the oral surgeon who did my removal HAD NEVER DONE ONE BEFORE! He had an experienced surgeon in with him offering remarks as he cut me open. I pretty much got a play-by-play commentary of my whole surgery.
Glad to hear you made it through mostly whole. :-)

This sounds just like a mucocele. Mine was cloudy, too. I do not recommend cutting at it anymore. You could cause it to develop an infection. If it doesn't bugs you, you can wait it out as some of them go away on their own, but it takes a while. If it does bug you, go see an oral surgeon, who can have it removed quickly and permanently. Good luck!
Kayti

I'd just like to add that my mucocele DID hurt when it first appeared, but once it popped the first time, the pain subsided.

I agree that this would be a great resource for those who have not had as good success in their removal surgeries. Have you IM'd kadavy, the founder of LumpInMouth.com? He might be willing to help ya out. Hope it works out.
Kayti

Hi Ed,
Yeah, I lost a litttle on my lip horizon too. It took about 8 months for it to smooth out a bit better. I still have a little divet, but only I really notice it. I can now whistle again, which is great. I'm trying to see it as my badge of honor for undergoing the mucocele trials. Hope yours turns out like mine did eventually.
Take care,
Kayti

Hi there Chris,
Definitely sounds like the dreaded mucocele. Sometimes popping them will help, but if you've already done a few times and it's not helping, then I recommend seeing an oral surgeon or plastic surgeon to have it removed, or it will keep coming back (like the creepy cat that kept coming back in that little kid's song).
Hope you feel better soon.
Kayti

Eesh. I don't know. It certainly sounds like a mucocele and antibiotics probably won't make it go away permanently, in which case hopefully he diagnoses the mucocele. I hope the antibiotics work, though! Good luck. :-)
Kayti

I suppose if your two year old has a bad habit of biting her lips when she eats or otherwise, it is quite possible to have 2 mucoceles at once. Improbable, but possible. If surgery doesn't give you warm fuzzies, and since mucoceles are generally harmless unless infected, you could wait to see if the problem goes away (as some are apt to do). Of course, I'm no doc. I hope that your wee girl feels better soon. Take care.
:-) Kayti

I can't be sure, but it does sound like a mucocele. Of course only a doc can tell you for sure. Since it does shift around a bit, sounds like an angry salivary gland. They're very touchy. I recommend seeing a doc as soon as you can. Having a mucocele is not dangerous per se, but it can be a huge annoyance and unsightly. Good luck and I hope you get a resolution soon. :-)
Kayti

Hmmm...I've never heard of that. What kind of doc did your procedure? I know that it is common practice to removed all the 'satellite' glands as well as the offending one to prevent reoccurrance from the injury caused by the surgery itself. Perhaps (and I am no doctor!) this was not done and you have some very angry salivary glands trying to develop into mucoceles? Just a guess. I'd keep going back until they give you a straight answer and if they don't, go see another doc for a second opinion. Good luck to you and I hope that you feel better! :-)
Kayti

I didn't know you could have laser surgery for this. Pretty cool. Hope that your recovery is progressing well. Good luck! :-)
Kayti

I am by no means a doc, but I've read (and been told by my dentist) that mucoceles form after some kind of trauma to the salivary gland. If the duct of the salivary gland is damaged, it cannot release the saliva into the mouth like it normally would, and the gland itself continues to produce the same amount of saliva. The result is that you get a big pouch of saliva stuck in your lip that has to be removed. Hope this helps and good luck with your lump. :-)
Kayti

1. Yep, sounds like a mucocele to me. It doesn't matter how hard you bite your lips, any damage to the salivary glands can cause a mucocele.
2. Yes, the biopsy is standard procedure for any tissue removed from the body for any reason. It should not raise your level of concern.
3. Depends on your level of pain tolerance. All I had was local. I felt a little in the middle of the procedure and they shot me up again, so I felt pretty much nothing the whole time through. Beleive me, I do not do well with dentistry stuff, so for me not to feel anything was pretty cool.
4. I don't think you should be overly concerned you have cancer. Yes, it is a possibility, but nearly nil possibility. Although, it's easy to hear advice like that, not so easy to take it. I worried myself until I went through it, now my mucoceles are pretty much part of life and no big deal.

Hope I've helped. Good luck on your surgery and let us know how it goes!
Kayti

Hmm, while I highly doubt it is cancer (oral cancer is extremely rare unless you do smoke and whatnot), I would get it checked out by someone as soon as possible. That's always the safest bet.
Good luck!
Kayti

Hey Proto
I'm no in the San Diego area, but I am in the military. I ended up being sent to the oral surgeon here at the base in Norfolk, VA and I think it was the best experience I've ever had with military medical personnel. Hopefully, this is the case in your area as well, but of course it does vary. So I rec the oral surgeon. I know a lot of people on this site swear by plastic surgeons, though. I guess just make sure that the person who's doing it has done it before. Being in the military, you don't get much choice in the matter. I was a guinea pig for a dental intern. But again, very good experience.
Kayti

My doc told me to expect some stitches to come out, and one did the next day, so I don't think it's a big deal at all! Hope this helps to alleviate your fears.
Kayti

It took about 8 months for the second one to show up....and it's not EXACTLY in the same spot, but close enough for government work, as they say. My dentist was pretty thorough with getting of the offending gland AND the 'satellite' glands surrounding the area. Or it seemed that way from where I was sitting, blindfolded and drooling on myself........

Mine sucks pretty bad, but the recovery wasn't too bad. I'm in the navy, so my ship's dentist sent me to see an oral surgeon that day on base and they fixed me up that same day. I was very much impressed by the quality of care I received from a navy facility (and from a dentist who had never done the procedure before; boy I love being a guinea pig for the navy!)
I had never heard of a mucocele and thought I had a cold sore that wouldn't heal. It all happened so fast that I never had time to worry about it. Now I have a little bit of asymmetry on my left side, and I had to teach myself how to whistle again. The numbness only lasted a couple of weeks, and the bruise on my mouth only a week. (I looked like I'd been beaten) Good luck with yours. Since I went to an oral surgeon and had a great experience, I recommend an oral surgeon, who probably has some experience with this type of problem. Take care of yourself!
Kayti

First off, if anyone bugs you about 'not coming to terms easier' they need to bugger off. Your experience is yours alone and nobody has the right to judge whether or not you handled it 'properly'. You handled it the way you handled it and that's that. I highly encourage you to get some help, whether that's counselling or surgery to correct what you don't like. (I also hope that you are not offended by my suggestions, just trying to offer what I can). And thankfully, we have found this little space on the web to vent and gripe and support each other. I think alot of us here don't really realize how this can change someone's life, like it did with you. Most of us had no problems with the procedures we had, so it's sobering to see the other side of the fence. At any rate, we (I, anyway, I can't speak for everyone of course) are here for ya if ya need us. Please keep us updated. You'll be in my thoughts and prayers.
Take care of yourself,
Kayti

Well, I'm working on mucocele number 2, pretty much in the same spot. I keep getting them in the same place cause my teeth stick out on that side and I keep accidentally chomping down on that bottom lip. Ugh. I got the first one removed at a great place (a Navy dentist facility, which was surprising that it was so good). They even gave me two days SIQ (stay at home and rest time) and a few Vicodin to get through the first day. That one was pretty big, I guess, about the size of a larger pea. My dentist named it Shelly (not kidding). I've got a little divit in my lip on that side and it took me about two months to teach myself how to whistle again, but other than that, it wasn't too big a deal. I like to think my uneven lip is unique. A sort of badge of honor for me and all the other sufferers of the dreaded mucocele. I never thought I would find a forum for mucoceles, it's kinda funny and kinda cool! Hope everyone is having a good day. I guess I've got to think of a new name for this one.....
Cheers,
Kayti