Lindsey Weedston
You might not have realized this, and might never have if it wasn’t for one curious TikTok user, but around 20-30 percent of people have a large bump on the roof of their mouths while every else’s is smooth. TikTok user Zoe Kwee found this out randomly when she discovered that none of her friends had a bump like a “giant tumor” on the roof of their mouth like she did.
@zoebailey96_ Anyone else have this on the roof of their mouth!?!?!? #fyp #foryou #gonnabefriends #foryoupage
Don’t worry, it’s not a tumor. It’s called the torus palatinus and it’s a harmless bony growth that some people have along the middle of the “hard palate,” commonly known as the roof of the mouth.
It’s more common in women than in men, and you’re more likely to have one if you’re of Asian descent. They can be as small as 2 millimeters long or more than six millimeters and can be flat, nodular, spindle-shaped, or even look like a “cluster of growths,” according to Healthline.
Much of this information was discovered and explained by a second TikTok user, Krista Torres, after she saw Kwee’s video and decided to investigate.
@callmekristatorres FACTS ABOUT THE BUMP!!! #greenscreen #greenscreenvideo #indoorlooks #minivlog #dentist #foryou #fyp #mouth #bumpinmouth
Torres was initially concerned when she found out that it’s a somewhat uncommon thing.
“So you’re telling me I’m not normal?” she asks in an exaggerated pouty voice.
She then checked the mouths of her husband, her son, and even her dog, and all of them had smooth hard palates. That’s when she found the growth’s name and the Healthline page explaining that it’s harmless.
Now everyone has a reason to zoom in on their open mouths in their TikTok videos! Just be careful if you’re having someone else check you for a torus palatinus because, in case you forgot for even one second, we’re in the middle of a pandemic.
You can also just repeatedly lick the roof of your own mouth like I did. It feels like there’s a bump there but it’s a little off-center. Is that bad? Someone, please make another TikTok video.
