Is this something to be concerned about?
When your tongue hurts, it’s difficult to ignore. When you speak or eat, it may upset you, and you may be concerned that something is badly wrong.
The good news is that the majority of causes of a sore tongue aren’t serious.
Here are some of the most prevalent causes, along with when you should see a doctor.
Trauma
Biting your tongue hard can be incredibly painful. Eating something extremely hot might cause your tongue to blister and burn. Grinding or clenching your teeth might create pain on the tongue’s outer margins.
The pain from trauma, such the discomfort from hitting your arm or leg, does not always go away right away. Whatever the situation may be, a tongue injury can make it feel sore and uncomfortable until it heals completely.
Irritation
On your tongue, you may acquire what are known as swollen papillae. Lie pimples or transitory lingual papillitis are terms used to describe these white or red lumps.
This indicates that your taste buds are enlarged and uncomfortable. They normally go away on their own within a few days.
Oral thrush is a yeast infection that can cause soreness in the tongue. On your tongue, you may notice white patches that resemble cottage cheese.
This illness is more common in babies and older persons, particularly those with dentures or compromised immune systems.
If you’ve recently taken antibiotics, you may get oral thrush. It can also happen to patients who take steroid inhalers for asthma.
Other infections, such as hand, foot, and mouth disease, human papillomavirus, and syphilis, can cause a sore tongue.
Oral ulcers
Your tongue discomfort could be concentrated in one area. You can see a round or oval ulcer or canker sore if you open your mouth. It can be pale in color or red, yellow, or gray in appearance.
Biting your tongue or other injury, eating something hard or sharp, feeling stress or worry, eating certain foods, quitting smoking, or going through hormonal changes can all cause these spots to appear.
With no extra therapy, ulcers usually heal in a week or two. To relieve the pain, you can take over-the-counter pain relievers. You should also avoid meals that irritate your tongue worse, such as spicy foods.
Food intolerance or allergy
That’s accurate, some foods can irritate your tongue. You could have a condition known as oral allergy syndrome.
Pollen-food syndrome is a condition that is most commonly triggered by raw fruits, vegetables, and some tree nuts.
An itchy mouth, a scratchy throat, and swelling of your lips, mouth, or tongue may accompany a sore tongue.
Older children, teenagers, and young adults are more likely to develop oral allergy syndrome. Your doctor may recommend that you carry an epinephrine auto-injector if your reaction is severe.
Smoking
Tongue soreness can be caused by smoking — and even quitting smoking. When you smoke, you increase your chances of developing cancer of the mouth and throat.
Staining teeth, foul breath, tooth decay and loss, hairy tongue from bacteria and yeast growth, brown spots on your gums, thicker and pale or white palate, or roof of your mouth are all difficulties that smoking can cause in your mouth.
