A cleft palate develops when the tissue that makes up the roof of the mouth is unable to join completely during pregnancy. Some babies experience only the split in the inner portion of their mouth while others experience a split in their mouth and throughout their lip.

Mouth ulcers are normally small, painful lesions that develop in your mouth or at the base of your gums. Mouth ulcers affect eating, drinking, and make talking uncomfortable. Mouth ulcers are not considered contagious and will usually go away within one to two weeks with proper self-treatment. However, develop a fever during this time or if you get a canker sore that is large or extremely painful, or if it lasts for a long time without healing, you should schedule an appointment with our dentist to ensure no further treatment is needed.

An inflammatory but harmless condition in which the surface of the tongue is typically covered with pinkish-white bumps (papillae), which are actually tiny hairlike projections. Patches on the surface of the tongue can be missing papillae and appear as smooth red "islands," often with slightly raised borders.

Dead skin cells collect on the papillae (small bumps formed by mucous membrane cells that make up the tongue's surface), which makes them longer than their normal length, causing your tongue to look like it is growing black hair. Signs may include a change in taste, bad breath, or a tickling or gagging sensation. The condition is harmless, and easily remedied by eliminating possible contributing factors (like smoking) and practicing good oral hygiene.