(Note: I’ll try to get a good picture tomorrow—when I went to check on her just now, my bts was settling into her hide for the night. 
)
A couple of sheds ago (around early December) I noticed that the scales on the left side of my skink’s lower jaw were a little… asymmetrical, I guess? Nothing to indicate infection, inflammation, or injury. No discoloration or broken skin. Just one place toward the front of the lower jaw where the scales “dip” a little, leaving a very small, thin gap on one side, even when her mouth is fully closed (as if it were “bowed” slightly, like a shelf bending in the middle under too much weight). I would describe the spot as looking like two scales are a little far apart, creating a “v”-shaped area of smooth skin between them. The “gap” ended up getting dust/food stuck to it a couple of times (due to the scales around it being more raised), which gave me a minor panic attack… but when I gently rubbed at it with a moistened Q-tip, it all wiped away without a trace (no discoloring, signs of mouth rot, or bleeding). I’ve kept an eye on it, to be sure nothing collects there that could encourage bacteria growth, though.
She doesn’t act like it bothers her, and she eats anything offered with great enthusiasm. She’s been consistently eating, pooping, basking, shedding, and growing well, as far as I can tell. Still, I want to understand what it is, and make sure there’s no harm in it. Is it a byproduct of an “imperfect” shed, like I assumed? Will it go away eventually, after future sheds? An individual quirk that didn’t show up earlier in her growth (she’s around 10 months old now)? The exact positioning of the scales shifts with each shed, but the gap when her mouth is closed is still there.
UPDATE:
Circled in this one:
