Maxfacts

Floor of mouth

Postoperative problems affecting the floor of the mouth include

• blockage of the submandibular gland(s), leading to obstructive symptoms and swelling in the upper neck (most likely caused by damage to the submandibular duct)
• damage to the lingual nerve, leading to dysaesthesia (most likely caused by crush, diathermy (heat damage) or cutting a terminal branch of the lingual nerve)
• restricted movement of the tongue, leading to problems with eating and speaking (most likely caused by scarring or tethering of the otherwise stretchy floor of the mouth)
• inability to wear dentures due to loss of lingual sulcus (groove between teeth and surrounding tissues) (most likely caused by similar conditions to the above)
• bleeding (most likely caused by the fragile large superficial veins in the floor of the mouth)
• damage to salivary glands , can result in formation of ranula (most likely caused by damage to the sublingual duct)
• exposure of root(s) of tooth / teeth, causing dentine sensitivity pain (most likely caused by retraction of lingual gingivae (gum tissue on the tongue-facing side of teeth)).