Comments on: Tiny Tongue Sores

Question: Tiny Tongue Sores

crapples — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 20:05:19 -0800

Every once in a while I get these very very small white-ish sores on my tongue. They hurt like crazy - especially if I eat sugars or citruses. What are these things and what can I do to get rid of them?

PS: I read the post about canker sores - if that's what this is then I'll just go with the advice from that post; however, this seems to be different. The things I'm talking about are very small bumps, white-ish, on the side or tip of the tongue. They pop up every few months and last for 4-5 days.

By: gramcracker

gramcracker — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 20:10:35 -0800

Sounds like tiny little canker sores (herpetiform shape) to me.

By: zixyer

zixyer — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 20:16:02 -0800

I get those too for several days whenever I eat anything strongly cinnamon flavored. I've never really looked into what they are. I just avoid cinnamon stuff.

By: fshgrl

fshgrl — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 20:33:16 -0800

I get those from sugary or acidic foods, I pretty much can't eat citrus fruit. Ice kind of numbs it a bit.

By: charmston

charmston — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 20:38:36 -0800

My mother used to call this having infected taste buds. Google research seems to indicate that that's an old wives tale, however.

By: zardoz

zardoz — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 20:56:34 -0800

I get those every now and then--I imagine everyone does. In high school I had braces and they would show up pretty regularly--they can hurt like a mother. I remember hearing a long time ago someone said they were a type of ulcer--don't know if that's accurate, tho.

By: teece

teece — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 21:10:41 -0800

I don't know what they are, but they are nothing like the canker sores I get (doesn't mean they aren't a different form of the same thing, though). Their a real nuisance, but I don't get them very often.

My wife also gets them from cinnamon. My (hispanic) wife and mother-in-law call them "granos" (spelling?), and the myth is that you get them when you want a food really bad, but don't get it.

By: aubilenon

aubilenon — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 21:16:38 -0800

If I eat a tremendous amount of Haw Flakes (like over a pound in a day) this happens to me, and for a few days it hurts to lick anything, and then it goes away.

By: polyglot

polyglot — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 21:18:45 -0800

I get them occasionally - they hurt like a bastard when touched and seem to be constantly banging into my teeth - and believe they are ulcers. Apparently they result from a vitamin B deficiency.

By: ubersturm

ubersturm — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 21:51:15 -0800

I get those too. I'm not sure if they're from a vitamin B deficiency, though - I take a multivitamin every day and also another smaller vitamin B pill, and I have a bit of trouble believing I'm deficient.

By: ArsncHeart

ArsncHeart — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 22:08:30 -0800

I've had these a few times. My mom (and when I got old enough, I'd do it myself) used to ice my tongue to numb it, then she'd VERY CAREFULLY clip just the sore off with a pair of fingernail clippers.

You can do this with almost no pain, and very little bleeding, if you're careful enough. I've found that the sores are only attached by a very thin membrane. If you accidentally clip yourself, the cut will heal much faster than the sore will.

By: xiojason

xiojason — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 22:30:29 -0800

I've always called these 'tongue zits' (Google search on the term to prove I'm not the only one. :)

Too much sugar or too many Sour Patch Kids or other tart/acidic candy and they'll pop up and bug me for a few days.

By: MadamM

MadamM — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 22:32:54 -0800

I get these when I eat too much acid + sugar; a notable offender is sour patch kids. If I can bite them off, it makes them feel better (rather like ArsncHeart said). I don't remember ice helping that much (I haven't had one in a while) but it seems like it could be useful. I have no idea what these are either, actually, but I sure would like to find out.

By: MadamM

MadamM — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 22:33:59 -0800

Wow, I didn't see xiojason's comment. Clearly sour patch kids are mouth- devils; not just bad for teeth, but for tongues, too!

By: eli_d

eli_d — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 23:58:32 -0800

(in response to xiojason's comment)
is clipping them REALLY nec. ?? does that actually make things better? it just sounds painful & scary to me.

i get the same things from cinnamon flavored stuff or cloves. my solution, like a few others here, is to simply avoid those things.

By: ancamp

ancamp — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 02:39:56 -0800

Assuming it's the same thing I've had, I've always called these ulcers.

Despite the horrible taste, I always experience some relief from disolving a teaspoon of salt in half a glass of water, and gargling. This and other potential treatments mentioned under the "treatment" heading here.

By: Chuckles

Chuckles — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 04:44:16 -0800

If I eat a tremendous amount of Haw Flakes (like over a pound in a day)

Ewww! Why would you ever do that!

By: suni

suni — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 05:12:18 -0800

i get those very seldom from smoking and acidic juices, biting them off is my cure

By: nimsey lou

nimsey lou — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 05:13:00 -0800

I too get them after eating sour things.
My dad always called them "Lie Bumps". You get them because you told a lie. He knew that wasn't true, but as a kid I sure didn't know that.

By: TedW

TedW — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 06:04:24 -0800

I get them too and I seem to remember the term "lie bumps" as well. They are not an ulcer, it is as if one of the taste buds has become white and swollen. I too use the fingernail clipper treatment with good results, but a little Googling found some advice from an actual dentist.

He suggests that the cause is trauma; I wonder if those who attribute them to sour foods just notice them when the sour stuff hits the bump and stings.

By: stormygrey

stormygrey — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 06:23:27 -0800

In my house my mom always said that it was a dying or inflamed tastebud and that they could be cause by eating too much sweet or sour stuff. This could cause a kind of trauma to the tounge if you think about it. I have heard tomatoes set some people off as well.

By: cosmicbandito

cosmicbandito — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 06:31:47 -0800

It's a dead taste bud. Suck it up and wait a few days. Some people also have good luck using anispetic mouth wash. Google "dead tast bud" for more.

By: suni

suni — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 06:58:28 -0800

woo, google knows lots about them.. i never thought those things are actual taste buds

By: delmoi

delmoi — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 07:36:11 -0800

I've never had them. Learn something new every day. *shudder* sounds terrible. If it's caused by certan foods I would imagine it's an alergic reaction of some sort.

By: matildaben

matildaben — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 07:58:25 -0800

I get these but I never thought about them much before this thread. Now I have one more thing to get freaked out about. Thanks.

By: like_neon

like_neon — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 08:31:00 -0800

OMG, I woke up with one this morning!
It hurts like a mother but I can't help but kind of nibble at it with my front teeth. It's like picking at a scab I guess. I get it from eating a lot of sour stuff, which I suppose I could just avoid but I love sour stuff.

By: Savannah

Savannah — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 20:55:49 -0800

I get them from eating sugar: chocolate, candies, and such. I figured it was a little canker-like sore, and a message to cut out eating junk food.

(It's amazing how the tongue heals so beautifully, isn't it?)

I've not got them from sour foods or cinnamon, but I don't eat a lot of sour foods, and just a 'normal' amount of cinnamon.