Oral Mucocele (Oral Cysts)

An oral mucocele or mucus extravasation cyst, is a saliva-filled sac that can develop on the skin inside your mouth.

Most oral mucoceles are harmless and are usually painless, but they can be irritating as they cause a small bump in your mouth. Occasionally they will go away on their own, but if they’re large or painful they can be treated by a maxillofacial specialist.

Oral mucoceles are common and most often affect people under 30 years old, but anyone can develop them.

What are the symptoms of oral mucoceles?

 An oral mucocele is a soft, dome-shaped bump in your mouth, which can vary in size from 1 millimetre to 2 centimetres wide. They contain saliva which gives them a clear or bluish colour.

Most oral mucoceles won’t cause pain, but larger ones can be uncomfortable or irritating, especially if they interfere with your speech, chewing or swallowing.

Oral mucoceles most commonly develop on the inner part of your lower lip, but similarly to mouth ulcers, they can also affect your inner cheeks, gums, tongue, roof of your mouth and the floor of your mouth. They can also develop around tongue or lip piercings.

What causes an oral mucocele?

Mucoceles on the upper or lower lip, inside the cheeks and bottom side of the tongue are usually due to lip or cheek sucking, accidental biting, rubbing on a sharp tooth or tongue thrusting.

Mucoceles commonly arise when a minor salivary gland is traumatised by biting the lip or cheeks. The damaged saliva gland continues to secrete saliva but it can no longer pass through the saliva gland duct into the mouth and the saliva builds up under the skin instead. Sometimes they burst and you may notice a salty taste in the mouth. After bursting, they usually reform.

A mucocele under the tongue arising from damage to the sublingual salivary gland is known as a ranula. There are several minimally invasive, gland preserving treatments for a ranula.

How are oral cysts diagnosed?

In most cases, a maxillofacial specialist will be able to diagnose an oral mucocele or a ranula  by examining your mouth.

If there is any doubt, your specialist may conduct some tests such as a biopsy, ultrasound or MRI scan.

How are oral mucoceles treated?

Sometimes oral mucoceles will naturally rupture and heal after 3 to 6 weeks without the need for treatment. However, often, they need to be removed, together with the damaged minor salivary gland in order to treat them and reduce the risk of recurrence.

We recommend making an appointment to see a OneWelbeck maxillofacial specialist if you have a large, painful or persistent oral mucocele which has not improved after 6 weeks. They will be able to assess the cause of the fluid filled lump, and offer treatment to remove it and prevent it from coming back.

You should never try to squeeze or cut a oral mucocele yourself as this can lead to an infection.

Get in touch today to book an appointment with a OneWelbeck maxillofacial specialist.