Can you feel the elongated styloids in your mouth?

Hello. I think today I physically felt elongated styloids for the first time. At the back of my mouth behind my teeth at the end of my palate I felt two lumps on either side. Is it ES? If so, I keep thinking, what if they keep growing? Will the styloids eventually pierce the palate? :thinking:

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Yes, sometimes the styloids can be felt there, near the tonsil region- often pressing them can set symptoms off which can be a sort of confirmation, although obviously don’t push them too hard or too often ! Not everyone can feel them, it depends on the angle & length, for example some members have been able to feel them under their jaw instead.
It is extremely rare that they pierce into the mouth; I’ve seen one research paper mentioning this, and I think possibly one member that I can recall having it… usually the styloids if they do keep growing will grow more downwards…

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Thank you, Jules. People without ES don’t have these bumps from styloids, correct? I don’t have anyone to ask to check :see_no_evil_monkey:

May I also ask: is it recommended for people with relatively short styloids (meaning 3 cm, not 6 cm like in extreme cases) to undergo a preventive surgery so that they don’t grow longer and cause more damage?

@Arb - If you have symptoms that are affecting your quality of life then getting 3 cm styloids cut back close to the skull base is wise as they will continue to grow & symptoms are likely to worsen. If your symptoms are just mildly annoying, then we suggest waiting until they are impacting your life to a greater degree because ES surgery is considered to be major surgery & full recovery generally takes a number of months.

These could also be your pterygoid hamulus processes which are in the area of the soft palate which you described.

These could also be your pterygoid hamulus processes which are in the area of the soft palate which you described.

Hmm, it could be those… Today I pressed with my tongue against one of them and the left side of my face got a bit numb (maybe it’s a nervous reaction, I don’t know). I got scared but fortunately it went back to normal after some time.

Regarding potential refuse to do operation it’s rather unfortunate news :frowning: As I wrote elsewhere I was supposed to have a double jaw surgery but these potential ES is an obstacle. If the second surgerone doesn’t remove the styloids, the first one won’t perform a double jaw surgery – I waited two years for this and it required special orthodontic preparation, braces, extractions etc…

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Where I could feel my styloids was a bit lower than the pterygoid hamulus processes, I don’t think I could’ve got my tongue round to there…
If you have ES symptoms, the 3 cm styloids can certainly cause those, as it could be the angle they’re growing or the width of them which cause symptoms. You have ES symptoms though don’t you?

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Yes, ice pick in temples, occasionally in throat. Fullness of ear. Severity is mild though.

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So frustrating for you to have one surgery you’ve waited so long to get done be postponed because of your ES diagnosis. It does make sense to wait on the jaw surgery until your styloids are removed because having your styloidectomy(ies) can cause a shift in jaw position & you wouldn’t want to have to re-do the jaw surgery later.

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