by William Menna

Created on: February 23, 2010

Bumps on your tongue are typically nothing more than temporary annoyances.  The most frequent causes of bumps on your tongue are biting the tongue, getting burnt by a hot drink or food, and temporary canker sores.  Other possible causes of bumps on your tongue are rarer, but more concerning, including a food allergy or even an oral cancer.

Canker sores are often causes of bumps on your tongue.  A canker sore is a small red bump that develops a light-colored open sore.  They can occur on the tongue and other surfaces of the interior of the mouth.  Canker sores are painful and usually last for a week to ten days before clearing up.  They are not contagious and are usually less than a half inch in size.  However, in some cases they can be larger and last far longer than typical canker sores.

Burns from hot liquids or foods can cause bumps on your tongue.  Coffee or tea that is too hot can cause temporary blistering on the tongue that will take up to a few days to heal.  A bite or cut on the tongue can also be causes of bumps on your tongue.  These cuts can also be causes of the aforementioned canker sores.

The herpes simplex virus can cause bumps on your tongue in the form of cold sores.  Cold sores typically occur on the lips or around the outer portion of the mouth, though they can also form inside the mouth.  Cold sores differentiate in symptoms from canker sores in a few ways.  Cold sores appear as blisters before bursting and forming a crusty outer layer, per the University of Virginia Health System.  Cold sores are itchy and irritating.  Like canker sores, cold sores are painful and last for about a week or two.  The herpes virus is incurable and cold sores can recur throughout life.

Chewing tobacco can also cause bumps on your tongue by irritating the tongue.  Smoking cigarettes, cigars, and the like are not known to cause bumps per se, but they can contribute to an unusual appearance and texture of the tongue.  Smoking can cause a condition called black tongue or black hairy tongue in which the tongue appears dark and fuzzy for a short period of time.

The tongue can also become irritated by various allergies.  Food allergies can be causes of bumps on your tongue.  According to the Mayo Clinic, common symptoms of a food allergy include feeling tingling, itchiness, and swelling on the tongue and mouth.  Bumps can also form on the tongue as a result of a drug allergy.

In a worst case scenario, certain kinds of cancer can cause bumps on your tongue.  In oral cancer, a bump or sore will persist and not go away.  The National Cancer Institute reports that oral cancer most commonly manifests itself in the form of white patches on the tongue, lips, and sides of the inner mouth.  It can also form white and red patches or red alone.  Pain usually does not start initially, but develops in the tongue.  Other symptoms may include difficulty swallowing, bleeding, and numbness.

Bumps on your tongue are most frequently just canker sores or bumps resulting from a cut or burn.  However, they can also be associated with allergic reactions to foods and medications and in some cases they can indicate oral cancer.  If you ever experience a bump that lasts more than a couple of weeks or is accompanied by other symptoms like difficulty swallowing or swelling, talk to your doctor.

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