What causes sores on tongue? Get insights on the reasons for sores on side of the tongue, surface, tip or back. Could it be canker sores, STD or a tongue infection? Explore further on how to get rid of and treat.
Your tongue might seem small and innocuous, but it plays a substantial role in your everyday life. In addition to speech and taste, it’s often a primary indicator of your overall health. Your tongue is also remarkably uncomfortable when indisposed, and sores or tongue blisters can result to problems more than you could imagine.
A number of different conditions can result in pain and the presence of abnormalities, bumps, or sores on the tongue as well as symptoms like swelling, or burning of the tongue.
Problems with the tongue can result from infections, tumors, chronic medical conditions, trauma, or toxins. Inflammation of the tongue is medically known as glossitis.
Pain in the tongue is known as glossodynia. Inflammation may occur on sides of the tongue, the tip of the tongue. Because soreness or painful lesions on the tongue can have a wide variety of causes, treatment and outlook depend upon the particular condition that is responsible.
Depending upon the exact cause, other symptoms and conditions can be associated with a sore tongue, including
- Dehydration
- Dry mouth
- Fever
- Thrush
Inflammation of the tongue can lead to damage of the taste buds, tiny sensors on the surface of the tongue. Some of the more common causes of sore and painful tongue include canker sores, cold sores, bite injuries, and burns.
Why am I getting Sores on my Tongue?
The following are the main causes of tongue sores:
Canker sores
These oral blisters are one of the most common oral problems, and most people experience them at some point in their life. They are usually small, less than one- third of an inch in diameter and form on the inside surface of the cheeks, under the tongue or on the gums- if not on the tongue itself.
The sores may be white or yellow in the center with a red border, or start as painful red spots or bumps that develop into open ulcers.
Canker sores though are very discomforting, but usually go away on their own after some few days. They can be caused by emotional stress, hormonal shifts, a lower immune system and celiac disease.
If your mouth sores become infected, additional problems such as swollen lymph nodes can arise, so it is best to treat mouth sores as early as possible to prevent an infection from worsening. Visit your physician if you experience any of this:
- Joint pain
- Fever
- Rashes
- Diarrhea
Keep good oral hygiene through daily brushing and flossing, and also rinse your mouth using an antibacterial mouthwash such as Colgate, proxy, mouth sore rinse alcohol free, whose bubbling properties clean the mouth gently while reducing the irritation to promote faster healing.
Candidiasis
It is also known as thrush, it is an overgrowth of the candida fungus, which grows naturally in your mouth. It forms whenever the bacteria protecting your oral tissues are compromised, or even through the use of antibiotics, medication-induced dry mouth or ill-fitting dental appliances. Symptoms of Oral thrush can occur with any of the following:
- A bad or reduced sense of taste
- White, cheesy-looking patches of fungus
- Tongue blisters or red, inflamed patches of tissue, often hidden by fungi
- Cracked, red areas of skin at the corners of your mouth
Candidiasis commonly clears up in 7 to 10 days if you follow the treatments properly. Research shows that if it extends more than this time or recurs frequently, your doctor may recommend testing for conditions such as diabetes, HIV or cancer.
Dermatologists usually prescribe antifungal treatments for candidiasis, or even in form of lozenges or mouth rinses for mild cases or a regimen of tablets for more serious conditions.
Over time, patients have been known to develop immunity against these treatments that makes doctors to be very careful about recommending them for every case of the fungus.
Although, maintain proper hygiene, also avoid the use of antibiotics unless absolutely necessary and make sure your mouth remains well hydrated. In this case many prescription products contain minor doses of sodium fluoride to help reduce your risk of sore on tongue.
Injuries
Injuries to your tongue can also result in sores resembling tongue blisters. In most cases, eating crunchy foods such as potato chips, sucking hard candies, biting your tongue or sipping an excessively hot beverage can also cause sore on tongue and develop blisters, cuts and burns.
These may lead to painful ulcers that take time to disappear, but unless infection develops, they usually have no serious problem.
Your tongue may be very sensitive and prone to injury, try to avoid foods that commonly cause damage. Maintain daily oral hygiene and use warm salty water or a mouth rinse to promote healing and also to protect the natural bacteria balance in your mouth.
Sores on Side of Tongue
Anybody can develop sores on tongue due to many reasons. The areas where a person can develop mouth sores are tongue, sides of cheek, gums, or palate which is the roof of the mouth. Although, a person can also develop sores on the side of the tongue, due to a chipped tooth near the affected area of the tongue.
Keep reading to learn about the causes of sores on tongue, and the treatments and also to prevent these sores.
Causes
- A chipped tooth near the side of the tongue can result to sore
- Biting your tongue can also cause a sore
- Braces can give a person sore on the tongue
- Burning the mouth due to eating or drinking something hot
- Chewing of tobacco is another cause
- Poorly fitting dentures many times results to sore on tongue
- Deficiency of vitamin B12, can cause ulcers
- Infection can lead to painful sores on the side of tongue
- Low immunity can also give a person mouth sores
- Hormonal changes causes mouth sores. These changes are observed more in women than men.
- Stress also can lead to canker sores
- Burning tongue syndrome can make the mouth feel sore and produce burning sensation on the tongue, lips, gums, palate or the entire mouth
- Allergic reactions especially to a particular food or medicine can also cause sore on the side of the tongue
- Another lesser commonly known causes is cancer, which can develop sore on tongue especially on the side of the tongue.
Even though, there are many conditions that can result to soreness on the side of the tongue, sometimes the examination can be complicated as there are certain medical conditions which rarely lead to sores in the mouth.
Sores on Back of Tongue
Soreness may also appear on the back of the tongue for a variety of reasons. While most reasons are not serious at all, though it is good to be able to identify your sores so you can seek the appropriate lifestyle changes or treatments. By identifying your sores on tongue will also prepare you in the event that they are a sign of a more serious ailment that may require a dermatologist.
The tongue is naturally covered with small bumps. These bumps are known as papillae and generally appears when you have experienced some sort of trauma or irritation in the mouth. Eating very salty or sugary things can aggravate your taste buds and cause these sores to form anywhere on your tongue.
What to do with Sores on Tip of Tongue
Sometimes, you can develop sores on tip of tongue which could be painful hurt or sore or painful. The sores can be small, big, clustered, multiple or just one spot. The most common cause of sore on tip of tongue is tongue biting and injuries. You will tend to have white bumps or spots as you begin to heal. In most cases, injuries on the tip of tongue can be infected and thus swell, be re, painful and cause fever.
If you have multiple sores on the tip of your tongue, it could be oral thrush which caused by yeast overgrowth. This could be common in children, infant, babies, and toddlers. Therefore, a lumpy, hard white spot on tip of tongue could be a precancerous spot. It is good to ensure you get diagnosed if it lasts for more than two weeks to reduce any chances of developing oral cancer without your knowledge.
Reasons for White Sores on your Tongue
In most cases, white sores on tongue can be harmless white dots or also be a sign of a more serious condition including oral cancer. They can effect children, babies, infants and toddler or adults.
These white sores could be small little tiny or big, they can be found on various parts of the tongue that include the tip of the tongue, back of the tongue or under the tongue or even on the side of the tongue.
There are many causes of white sores on your tongue that include STDs, cancer, and poor oral hygiene, among many others. There are also some of the common reasons why you might be having white sores on tongue, dots, spots as well as patches and blisters on your mouth.
What is Canker Sore on Tongue?
Canker sores are usually small, tiny ulcers that appear in the mouth and often make eating and talking very difficult. There are two types of canker sores:
- Simple canker sores. These may appear three or four times a year and last up to a week. They typically occur in people at ages of 10 to 20.
- Complex canker sores. These are less common and appear more often in people who have previously had them.
Canker sore causes
The exact cause of most canker sores is unknown. Stress or tissue injury is thought to be the cause of simple canker sores. Certain foods such as citrus or acidic fruits and vegetables including lemons, oranges, pineapples, apples, figs, tomatoes, and strawberries, can lead to canker sore or make the condition worse. In some cases. A sharp tooth surface or dental appliance, such as braces or ill-fitting dentures, might also trigger canker sores.
Some cases of complex canker sores are caused by an underlying health condition, such as an impaired immune system, nutritional problem. Such as vitamin B-12, zinc, folic acid, or iron deficiency, or gastrointestinal tract disease, such as celiac disease or crohn’s disease.
Symptoms
You are more likely to have a canker sores if you are going through the following:
- A painful sore or sores inside your mouth, on the tongue, on the soft palate which is the back portion of the roof of your mouth, or inside your cheeks
- A tingling or burning sensation before the sores appear
- Sores in your mouth that are round, white or gray, with a red edge or border
In severe canker sores attacks, you may also feel:
- Fever
- Physical sluggishness
- Swollen lymph nodes
Canker sores treatment
Pain from a canker sores usually disappears in a couple of days, and the sores generally heal without any treatment in about a week or two. Cankers sores treated with dental lasers exhibit almost complete relief of the symptoms immediately. Visit your dentist and talk to him/her about the condition.
Prevention
However there is no cure for canker sores, and they often recur, you may be able to reduce frequency by:
- Avoiding foods that irritate your mouth, such as citrus fruits, acidic vegetable, and spicy foods
- Avoiding irritation from gum chewing
- Brushing with a soft-bristled brush after meals and flossing daily, which will keep your mouth free of foods that might trigger a sores on tongue
You should call your dentist about canker sores if you have:
- Unusually large sores
- Sores that are spreading
- Sores that last 3 weeks or longer
- Intolerable pain despite avoiding trigger foods and taking over-the-counter pain drugs
- Difficulty drinking enough fluids
- A high fever with the appearance of the canker sores
Can you get Sores on tongue from STD
Sexually transmitted diseases are contracted through various forms of sexual activity. Oral sex is a common to sexually active adults of all ages and orientations.
This can result in the disease taking hold in the tissues surrounding the contact area, and some infections are more likely to affect the mouth than others.
The most common STDs of the mouth are herpes, chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. Always remember that it is very possible to contract illness such as hepatitis A, B, and C, as well as other gastrointestinal infections.
Transmitting STDs
The main method of transmitting STDs of the mouth is through contact with bodily fluids. In some cases, the presence of oral sores causes fluids from an infected partner’s genitals to enter the body, and a localized infection develops. Diseases can also be transmitted from the mouth of an infected person to the genitals of his or her partner.
Symptoms
It depends on the type of STD contracted. Oral gonorrhea, is also known as pharyngeal gonorrhea because it typically affects the pharynx.
Symptoms that can indicate and oral STD include:
- Sores in the mouth, which may have no pain.
- Lesions similar to cold sores and fever blisters around the mouth.
- Red, painful throat and difficulty swallowing
- Tonsillitis
- Redness with white spots resembling strep throat.
- Whitish or yellow discharge.
Usually, an oral STD does not produce any noticeable symptoms, so it is very important to be aware of both your own oral health and that of your partner as best as you can.
Prevention
The only way to prevent yourself from contacting an oral STD is to practice safe sex. Including safe oral sex, a person should also maintain a high standard of proper hygiene, which reduces the risk for developing any type of sore infection in the mouth.
What does Sores on Tongue and Sore Throat mean
There are some of conditions that are associated with sores on tongue, sore throat and mouth sores. The following are some of the symptoms that will provide you with more detailed information on these medical conditions.
Viral pyaryngitis
- Viral pharyngitis is a sore throat caused by a virus, and causes throat pain and cold-like symptoms.
Thermal burn of mouth or tongue
- A thermal burn of the mouth or tongue usually cause pain, blisters, peeling skin, and temporary loss of taste.
Strep throat
- Strep throat is a throat infection causing symptoms including a red sore throat with white patches.
Tonsillitis
- Tonsillitis is very painful swelling in the tonsils, causing sore throat, red tonsils, pain, fever, and others.
Common cold
- The common cold is a viral respiratory infection causing sore throat, stuffy or runny nose, headache and more.
Medication reaction or side-effect
- Medication side effect include nausea, vomiting, stomach upset, weakness, dizziness, seizures, and more.
How to Treat Sores on Tongue
These sores usually starts as a red or white patch of oval skin, they will typically become increasing inflamed and develop a white or yellowish in the middle.
With a handful of natural remedies, it is not difficult to ways to soothe the pain that caused by sores in tongue, and also make it so you can chew your food normally and talk without a lisp, which are also important things to consider.
Home Remedies
You can try the following:
Coconut oil
When in doubt, use coconut oil. Anti-inflammation, antimicrobial, and also incredibly tasty, coconut oil is almost fail-safe when it comes to getting rid of sores on tongue.
- You can use your clean hands or a cotton swab, dab a liberal amount of coconut oil onto the sore. Try to get a somewhat thick layer or clump on the coconut oil melts rapidly and a thin layer just seems to slide right off. If you feel like you really cannot get it to stick, melt 1 tablespoon down with one half teaspoon or so of beeswax to thicken it.
Honey rub
With its antibacterial, and potentially anti-inflammatory properties, raw organic honey makes a wonderfully soothing coating for a painful sores.
- Swish some warm water in your mouth, and then apply a thick dab of organic raw honey directly to the sore. Repeat this 2 to 3 times daily, at least one of those times should be before night, as it seems to do best especially when you are not bothering it by talking or eating.
Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera is a magic plant of soothing, the gel from this magnificent plant wields mighty powers when it comes to soothing not just sunburn, but sores as well. Make sure you use natural gel not the green kind.
- Stir the aloe Vera gel into the water and swish it gently over the sore. Do this at least 3 times a day to ease the pain and facilitate healing.
Eat yogurt
Yogurt is made from fermented milk-delicious. It is produced by bacterial fermentation, using bacteria or yeast to convert carbohydrates into organic acids. The result is a tangy bacteria rich substance that is enjoyed worldwide.
You most often hear of it restoring a healthy balance to gut flora, but eaten daily yogurt may one of the home remedies for sores on tongue. It is a simple and healthy remedy that may help because it balances out bacteria in your mouth which, if it was out of balance.
- Make sure the label on the yogurt confirms that it contains live cultures, and also make sure you get plain-not vanilla. Eat at the very minimum 1 tablespoon 3 times daily. I usually eat around a cup and add a little bit of raw honey for taste and an extra healing boost.
Warm salt water
When the salt content around cells is greater on the outside than the inside osmosis takes place, with water being drawn from in the cells to help balance out the concentration. When water is drawn out, the painful puffiness that excess fluid can cause is diminished.
If you have a sores on tongue that is really puffed up that keeps rubbing or that you keep biting, gargling with salt water can help with a sore throat-reducing the painful swelling of the cells in the mucous membrane at the back of the throat.
The warm water also produces a general sense of soothing relief, while the salt may help keep the area clean. Stir the salt into the warm water and swish it around in your mouth 3 times daily until the sores on tongue is gone.