Tongue Blisters

Tongue blisters are painful sores which when erupt on the surface of your tongue makes it difficult for you to eat or drink anything. You can also feel the pain while speaking. In fact, any such activity that involves use of tongue becomes a painful affair because of these blisters. It is more common in adolescents and young adults. However, that does not mean that it does not occur in infants, small children, and older adults. Even they are also bothered by it but less frequently.

Tongue Blisters Causes
There are various forms of tongue blisters and each of them emerges for some different reasons. You may get just one single bump on tongue or may have them in clusters. The causes and characteristics of blisters on tongue are discussed below:

Fever Blisters: This is also known as cold sores and is caused due to infection by herpes simplex virus type 1. The blisters appear both inside as well as outside the oral cavity and are accompanied by some more symptoms like swollen lymph nodes and fever.

Canker Sores: Medically, it is known as aphthous ulcers. Even though it looks very similar to fever blisters but they have different characteristics. Firstly, canker sore is not contagious like fever blisters. It occurs inside the mouth only and is comparatively bigger in size. The exact cause behind this problem is not clearly known. It may run in families.

Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease: This is a viral infection that mostly affects small children. It is characterized by painful, red blisters on tongue and other parts of the mouth along with skin rashes on palms, feet, toes and fingers. These tongue blisters in children often develop into ulcer after a few days.

Yeast Infection: A white bump on tongue could be a sign of a fungal infection. This is also known as oral thrush or candidiasis and is caused by a fungus named Candida albicans. Before the creamy white lesions appear, the tongue becomes swollen and painful.

Bacterial Infection: Staphylococcus bacteria is mainly responsible for this kind of blisters on tongue. This bacteria grows in the gums first and later on the infection spreads on to the tongue.

Food Allergy: Another common cause of blisters on the tongue is food allergy. Those who are allergic to some foods components like eggs, milk or peanuts get tongue sores if they consume that particular food. Sometimes, it is accompanied by upset stomach.

Minor Injuries: Injuries on the tongue is quite a common occurrence. It can happen due to accidental biting, brushing with hard bristled toothbrush, eating of hot foods or during some dental procedure. This kind of injury often leads to growth of blisters on the site of injury.

Other Causes: A few other factors can be responsible for the eruption of bumps on tongue. It includes side effects of certain medicines, vitamin B complex deficiency, hormonal changes, tonsillitis, anemia, weak immune system and so on.

Treatment for Tongue Blisters
In general, tongue blisters last for around a week and then disappear on their own. Therefore, no medical treatment is required. However, if it refuses to go and the size of the blister is large enough or you are getting them quite frequently, then it is advisable to visit a doctor. They will ascertain the cause first and treat it accordingly. Application of ointments or creams with zinc content can reduce the size of fever blisters. Topical anesthetics are good for getting relief from a painful tongue blister. You can get both these ointments over the counter as well. For a severe pain of canker sores, anti-inflammatory medicines are prescribed. In some rare cases of oral herpes, antiviral medicines are given for the treatment of infection caused by herpes simplex virus. Antifungal medicines are effective for the treatment of oral thrush.

The pain and discomfort associated with hand, foot and mouth disease is mostly controlled with the help of medicated mouthwashes and oral sprays. These have a numbing effect on the painful sores. If required, low doses of pain relieving medications are also given.

Those who have deficiency of vitamin B are prescribed with suitable vitamin supplements. They are also advised to have foods that are rich sources of vitamin B. It includes whole grains, oats, bran, avocados, bananas, eggs, turkey, liver, fish, dairy products like milk cheese, yogurt, etc.

Home Remedies for Tongue Blisters
There are some natural remedies that can help in bringing down the pain and inflammation of the tongue sores. Here we have discussed four such remedies which have been proved to be highly effective:

Apply Ice: Ice application reduces the pain to a great extent. As soon as you apply ice on the painful spot of the tongue, it has a numbing effect that provides a soothing relief from the pain almost instantly.

Gargle with Saline Water: Gargling or simple rinsing the mouth with saline water is very helpful to treat bacterial infection. Take one teaspoonful of salt and mix it well in a cup of warm water and rinse your mouth using this saline water several times a day. The salt will kill the bacteria causing tongue blisters and control the infection.

Sip Warm Water: You can get rid of the blisters caused by injury or burns with this home treatment. Take small sips of warm water and rotate it all over the mouth for a minute before swallowing it. Repeat it several times a day. The warm temperature of the water will reduce the swelling of the tongue and ensure faster healing up of the sores.

Turmeric: Turmeric has antibacterial properties that can treat infectious blisters on tongue. You can use it in two different ways. Prepare a paste by mixing up a little turmeric in one teaspoon of honey and apply it on the blisters 3-4 times a day. You will get a lot of relief within few days. Alternately, add half teaspoon of turmeric powder in a glass of milk and drink it.

Whenever you have tongue blisters, you must make sure that you eat soft foods which are easy to swallow. Any kinds of acidic food or drinks can cause irritation to the blisters and make them more painful. Hence, such foodstuff should be avoided. These blisters should never be scratched with the teeth as it will not only delay the healing process but can aggravate the infection too.