by John McDevitt

Created on: May 12, 2007   Last Updated: May 12, 2010

Did you know that Chinese and Indian doctors always check the condition of a patient's tongue? It's amazing that your tongue can actually mirror your health. The condition of your tongue can help a doctor determine your overall state of health and those bumps on your tongue often give them valuable diagnostic clues without resorting to expensive tests or invasive procedures.

Hundreds of things can cause bumps on your tongue. Allergic reactions, oral herpes, a viral or bacterial infection, a recent or current illness, a vitamin deficiency - just to name a few. Then again, the bumps on your tongue may just be a minor, temporary irritation. Think about it. Your tongue is a highly sensitive organ. Is there anything you might have done or are doing that could be the cause of the bumps on your tongue?

Have you changed to a different toothpaste or mouthwash recently? Have you eaten anything different lately? Your tongue is covered by tiny bumps called papillae. Your taste buds are mixed among the papillae and the papillae help your tongue "get a grip" on your food as you eat. Can you imagine trying to move food around in your mouth so you can chew properly with a perfectly smooth tongue? When the papillae are irritated by chemicals in your mouthwash, a new toothpaste, or an unfamiliar, perhaps spicy food, they can become painfully enlarged.

Your tongue is reacting normally, but when you identify and remove the source of irritation, the problem will likely go away. Good oral hygiene will help and the bumps on your tongue usually disappear on their own after a few days to a week.

Not all bumps on your tongue are uncomfortable annoyances. Small bumps on the sides of the tongue are usually harmless, but a bump on one side of the tongue may be cancerous - especially if the bump is hard. The bumps on your tongue may be painful or persistent and far more serious than just a minor irritation.

If the bumps on your tongue don't disappear quickly, it's no time for self-diagnosis. Why did you get the bumps on your tongue in the first place? Are the bumps a local problem confined to your tongue? Or are the bumps a symptom of an imbalance somewhere else in your system?

Only your dentist or physician will have answers to these questions. Make an appointment to see one of them right away. The bumps on your tongue are probably minor and your doctor or dentist may be able to prescribe or recommend something to clear up the bumps and your concerns. But if the bumps on your tongue are more serious, you'll be under professional care.

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