Torus Paltinus
As a Speech-Language Pathologist one of my main tasks when I
am assessing a person for speech concerns (articulation, intelligibility,
dysarthria, or apraxia) or dysphagia concerns (swallowing difficulty) I always
perform an oral-mechanism evaluation.
The purpose of the oral-mechanism evaluation is to look at
the structures and the functions within the oral-cavity. If I notice anything
that is atypical I assess to see if this will negatively impact speech
production or swallowing capabilities.
Though I never want any of my patients to have anything
atypical within their oral cavity it is somewhat exciting to see something new.
This brings me to my post tonight regarding Torus Palatinus!
I have only encountered two people so far with Torus
Palatinus. One was a patient of mine for a Modified Barium Swallow study and
another is actually a friend mine! Luckily for me my friend is amazing and she
has allowed for me to post the below picture of her atypical structure.
So first, what is a Torus Palatinus? Basically is a bony
prominence in the center of the hard palate, specifically at the junction of
the intermaxillary suture. They can come in all types of sizes and various
forms of shapes! Torus palatinus is more coming amongst females and is most
common in people who are Native American, Asians, and Inuit Eskimos. Typically
it will appear in young adult hood with the possibility of it growing in size.
I find it interesting that this occurs in approximately 20% of the general population
and 7% can have a torus mandibulars (that’s a blog post for another day)!
Now typically torus palatinus are not dangerous, they
usually can cause difficulty later in life with denture fitting. Some people
can have a large torus palatinus, which can make it difficult for them to
manipulate their tongue for speech tasks and can also create mastication and
swallowing difficulty. Torus palatinus can also have a higher incidence of ulcers
that can obviously make things painful within the oral cavity. Torus palatinus can be surgically removed if
needed.
I found an interesting article entitled “Torus Palatinus: A
new Anatomical Correlation with Bone Density in Postmenopausal Women.” It was
found in this study that their “observations strongly suggest that postmenopausal Caucasian
women with large torus palatinus have a higher mean bone density than their
peers as well as a higher bone density than much younger women.” Very
interesting.
If
you are interested below is a video from www.youtube.com that gives a more up-close
and personal look into Torus Palatinus. It also shows a surgery to remove a
Torus Paltinus, so if you feel squeamish watching those kinds of things I
suggest skipping over it, though if you think you can handle it this video is
really something else!
Do
you have a Torus Palatinus? If you do there is really nothing to be alarmed
about though I do suggest letting your physician take a look at it if it is new
or there are any atypical changes that occur. If you do have something atypical
you notice in your oral cavity and you are not sure if it is a Torus Palatinus
or not then let your physician know, they will be able to do a proper
evaluation.
What
is the strangest thing you have seen during an oral mechanism evaluation?
Here are just a few of my resources:
I just found out about this yesterday because my palate was sore on one side and my dentist explained it. The video was great! Thanks for this post.
ReplyDeleteI have a rather large torus palatanus (my own opinion having looked at pictures of others), and have always had some difficulty saying the s sound in normal speech. I sound similar to Drew Barrymore with how I pronounce certain words. As a child my speech pathologist diagnosed me with "lazy S's, but as an adult I have wondered if my pronunciation could actually be the result of the shape of my oral cavity. Have you come across this with anyone else? Others having the same symptoms?
ReplyDeleteHi Mary,
ReplyDeleteI have not but certainly if it is large enough it could impact your ability to make certain speech sounds. May I ask a few questions? Where does your tongue naturally rest? When you make your /s/ what does your tongue want to naturally do? Point up or down?
Mallory Mahon M.S. CCC-SLP
Hi Mallory, my tongue naturally rests up. When I make an s the tip goes down. While talking to a friend who is an SLP, we realized that my tongue doesn't curl up on the sides, instead it lays flat or even curls down. I've never thought of all this before. Tell me more.
ReplyDeleteHi Mary,
ReplyDeleteHave you tried making your /s/ or /z/ sounds with your tongue in the upward and downward positions?
Mallory Moore M.S. CCC-SLP
Hi, a friend of mine just noticed I have one of these in the roof of my mouth right in the middle of the hard palate. I’ve always struggled with pronunciation of the sound /r/ I do recall my speech therapist in school insisting I should curve my touge upwards to the roof of my mouth and I have always tried that with no success. Words like Bird, Birth and other strong r’s are especially difficult for me to pronounce, could this be why?
ReplyDeleteI have always wondered what this large, perfectly round protruding bone was in the roof of my mouth. It covers nearly the entire surface of the palate and presses down on my tongue, which is also rather long and wide for my narrow jaw structure and face. I, however, have never had any problems with articulating my words. My new denture implants are, however, a problem.
ReplyDeleteI have tori in my jaw and on the roof of my mouth. They are getting bigger as I age and I am noticing it is getting harder for me to talk. I have to talk slower and think about my tongue position before I speak now, which I never had to do in the past. I hope it will not get any bigger and interfere with me swallowing food. Should I have surgery?
ReplyDeleteI've had a Torus Paltinus my whole life, 17 now, it makes my tongue rest to the side of my mouth and lower down instead of pressed up against my palate. It's caused me to have a strong lisp when pronouncing /s/ /r/ /th/ sounds.
ReplyDeleteHi i have a torus palatimus lately I'm having difficulty swallowing and at times i experience difficulty speaking would you recommend some advices?
ReplyDeleteSchool SLP here. I just had my first student with a large torus palatinus. She has a small oral cavity so this makes articulation tricky. I have taught her a tongue tip down lingual position for her s/z but sh, ch, J are very lateralized. I've tried every trick I know but I'm afraid her small oral cavity coupled with the large boney structure doesn't allow her tongue to get the correct placement on the palate. Would love any therapy ideas for /ch, sh, J/. Orthodontics is in the future but it doesn't sound like the ortho is concerned with it-which surprises me because it really is very large. Thanks!
ReplyDelete