Finding a black dot in mouth can be alarming, but it doesn’t mean something is wrong with you. Various conditions can cause discoloration in your mouth, such as leakage from a dental feeling, hyperpigmentation, or a mole.
In extremely rare cases, a black spot in the mouth might be the sign of oral melanoma. But only 1.6% of people suffer from cancers of the neck or head, and less than 1% have melanoma.
While in most cases, it’s a harmless occurrence, it’s important to get in touch with a doctor for an accurate diagnosis if it doesn’t go away.
Keep reading to discover what might cause a black spot inside your mouth.
What causes a black dot inside the cheek?
Oral Nevi
Nevi is a medical term for a mole, and oral nevi are small bluish, grey, or almost black dots that can appear inside your mouth. They are slightly raised and commonly placed on the inner lip or the roof of your mouth.
Don’t be afraid because there have been no reports of oral nevi turning cancerous. Therefore, no treatment is necessary. However, your dentists should perform a biopsy to exclude the presence of melanoma.
Blood blister
These are sacks of fluid filled with blood. Blood blisters can range in color from purple to dark red. When you pick your skin, they will form in your mouth.
They are big enough so you can feel them with your tongue, and most often, they will form on soft parts of your mouth, like the inner lips of your cheek. Blood blisters are usually painful when you touch them or eat spicy food.
They shouldn’t last more than two weeks, but if this becomes an ongoing problem, make sure to visit a doctor.
Melanotic macules
These areas of hyperpigmentation can reach a quarter of an inch in diameter, but they can be as small as 0.04 of an inch. In most cases, melanotic macules are flat and have a well-defined border.
They are noncancerous, but your doctor may suggest a biopsy to rule out a melanoma.
What causes a black spot in the mouth to appear?
Spots can vary in size and color. The most common causes include the following:
Leakage from a dental filling
Amalgam is a dental filling used for more than 150 years. This material is made of copper, silver, zinc, tin, and mercury, while amalgam tattoos are leakages from these dental fillings. They are usually black, gray, or dark blue, mostly located next to the filling.
Amalgam tattoos don’t require treatment or cause any symptoms. They are permanent unless you remove them with laser surgery.
Smoker’s melanosis
Smoking leaves a black spot on the inside of the cheek, called smoker’s melanosis, and about 22% of smokers have this staining. They don’t need treatment and don’t have any symptoms. However, your doctor may recommend a biopsy to rule out other conditions. The stain can be removed with a laser.
Oral cancer
Melanoma is a skin cancer that affects melanocytes, a pigmented cell. Melanoma will target parts of your skin that are exposed to light, but it can also form in your nose and mouth. In extremely rare cases, dark spots in your mouth or inside your cheek may be a sign of melanoma.
In its early stages, melanoma shows minimal symptoms and usually appears like a dark brown to blue-dark spot. It can also be white and unpigmented. Melanoma may be accompanied by bleeding, ulcers, and pain in its late stages.
Melanoma is more common in men than in women, and treatment includes drug therapy, immunotherapy, radiation, and surgery.
Peutz-Jeghers syndrome
This is a condition that causes polyps, noncancerous growths, to grow inside the stomach and intestines. Children who suffer from this condition may develop black spot inside cheek and lips, near mouth and around anus.
With age, these spots will fade. People who have Peutz-Jeghers can also develop complications such as bowel obstruction, bleeding, and pain. At the moment, there is no cure, but surgery can remove polyps in the digestive tract.
When to see a doctor?
Although the likelihood of developing oral melanoma is quite rare, seeing a doctor every time you notice abnormalities in your mouth is a good idea. This is especially important to check if you are older than 55 years.
