Painful White Bumps on Tongue

Consider this; During meals, you notice that you experience pain while chewing food. Even talking seems slightly uncomfortable. Standing in front of the mirror with mouth wide open, you observe small white bumps clustered at the center and the tip of the tongue. In some cases, these white bumps spread beyond the tongue. It is discussed below:

Causes

It is said that alcoholics and tobacco chewers are likely to suffer from this mouth condition. It is explained below:

Leukoplakia
This is a mouth problem typically marked by elevated white patches on the tongue, inner cheeks and the gums. These irregular raised patches, many times do not cause any pain but in some cases, they do cause a considerable amount of discomfort. Smokers as well as those chewing tobacco are most vulnerable to this condition. Abuse of alcohol can also increase the risk of leukoplakia. In most cases, leukoplakia isn't a serious issue and usually go away within a week. However, there have been instances where in these whitish raised lesions of leukoplakia have turned cancerous.

Oral Thrush
The symptoms of oral thrush (fungal infection of the mouth) typically manifest in the form of raised spots inside the cheeks and on the tongue. Oral thrush patients may also develop cracks at the corner of the mouth. The infection many times interferes with the ability to taste food properly. People with a weakened immune system or those wearing dentures are often diagnosed with oral thrush.

Trauma
Biting the tongue unintentionally while chewing food or unknowingly during sleep can give rise to bumps on the tip of the tongue. People who have the habit of having their meals in a hurry often end up biting their tongue. Talking fast also increases the risk of biting the tongue accidentally. Bumps that appear as a result of biting the tongue can be quite painful.

Canker Sores
Allergic reactions from foods or side effects of certain foods gives rise to open raised white sores, commonly referred to as canker sores. They can appear anywhere inside the mouth including the tongue, inner cheeks and at the base of the gums. When they develop on the tongue, pain is inevitable, especially while talking and eating food. Eating too much of citrus fruits like oranges and lemon or use of dentures that do not fit properly are some of the common causes of canker sores on tongue. A weakened immune system, Crohn's disease, use of toothpaste that contain sodium laurel sulfate, and deficiency of essential nutrients like iron, folic acid, zinc and vitamin B12 deficiency are some of the factors that trigger canker sores.

Hairy Leukoplakia
This is a viral infection and considered to be a severe form of leukoplakia. It is usually seen in HIV infected patients and those with a compromised immune system. This condition typically causes protruding white corrugated lesions. This irregular nodular appearance usually remains confined to the tongue and does not affect the inner cheeks.

Treatment

Most cases of leukoplakia resolve after giving up unhealthy habits like use of tobacco or alcohol consumption. If that doesn't work and the patches show the presence of cancerous cells, then the doctor has no option but to remove these white patches surgically with a scalpel. Instead of scalpel, the doctor may go for cryotherapy that involves freezing the affected tissue to kill the cancerous growth. Advanced cryotherapy instruments like Cryoprobe are commonly used to achieve the desired result.

In case of oral thrush, taking anti fungal medicine is not a necessity, unless it is prescribed. This is because, quite a few oral thrush patients respond quite well to home remedies like having unsweetened yogurt. However, if that doesn't work taking antifungal tablets as prescribed by the doctor is essential to get rid of the infection. On the other hand, anti-viral drugs are commonly prescribed for the treatment of patients affected with hairy leukoplakia.