When Utah mum Rowan Steiner noticed a strange lump in her nine-month-old son Max’s mouth, she rushed him to doctors fearing the worst. “They’d never seen anything like it,” Rowan said, as medical staff worried it could be a vascular tumour.

Max was referred to specialists and even prepped for a CT scan. But just before the scan, one doctor suspected the lump might not be a medical issue at all. Using a dental tool, he pried it off – and to everyone’s shock, it turned out to be part of a fidget toy.

“The head of the department used a dental pick and it popped off. It was super violent… it had sucked on to his gum so tightly,” Rowan explained. The swelling had hidden the toy’s edges, making it look like part of Max’s tissue.

Rowan, who has five children, admitted she hadn’t imagined it could be from a toy. “It was the best possible outcome,” she said, relieved it wasn’t a tumour or a choking hazard.

She now warns other parents: “Just be really careful, especially with younger kids… make sure they’re in one piece when they’re playing with them.”