Ouch!
The other night when playing with Katherine I saw a large swollen spot in her mouth where a molar has been threatening to poke through for almost a month. It did not seem to be causing pain but it looked horrible. We took a few pictures. That was not easy. I opened her mouth and got her tongue out of the way while Sam tried to focus and get a good shot. Finally we had a few that showed the ugly mystery. We were not sure what it was. I was going to post it here to see if any other moms had any ideas but Sam suggest we email the photos to our friend Bri who is a 4th year dental student. The prognosis - eruption cysts.
Here is the definition she gave us:
Eruption Cyst: cyst develops as a result of separation of the dental follicle from around the crown of an eruptiong tooth that is within the soft tissues overlying the alveolar bone. Features: The eruption cyst appears as a soft, often translucent swelling in the gingival mucosa overlying the crown of an erupting deciduous (baby) or permanent tooth. Most examples are seen in children younger than age 10. Surface trauma may result in a considerable amount of blood in the cystic fluid, which impart a blue to purplish-brown color. Treatment and prognosis: Treament may not be required because the cyst usually ruptures spontaneously, permitting the tooth to erupt. If this does not occur, simple excision of the roof of the cyst generally permits speed eruption of the tooth. From Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology by Neville, et. al.m 2nd edition.
I sure hope it takes care of itself and we do not have to excise the roof of the cyst. At least it does not seem to be causing any pain beyond normal teething.