Why does a pimple appear on the tongue?

The appearance of pimples on the tongue is not taken seriously by people. Indeed, the rashes usually do not bother much; pain appears only when trying to eat something hot or when touched. However, it is contraindicated to leave such a manifestation unattended. At a minimum, you need to see a doctor to find out why it appeared.

Causes of pimples in the mouth

70% of red, white or pinkish rashes in the oral cavity, including on the tongue, indicate the presence of a serious dental disease. The asymptomatic course of the disease does not mean that the “trouble” will go away on its own. However, prescribing treatment on your own, guided by the advice of friends or recommendations from the Internet, is dangerous.

Important!

In principle, there cannot be acne on the tongue. Purulent skin rashes develop due to inflammation of the sebaceous glands, which are not present in the mouth. Accordingly, we call those pimples that appear in the oral cavity “pimples” by analogy. Just by external similarity.

There are several reasons for the appearance of irritations that visually resemble pimples:

1. mechanical damage. A prick with a fish bone, a scratch, a burn from hot coffee can provoke a similar pathology;
2. allergy. Not necessarily to foods; a seasonal allergic reaction is possible, manifesting itself in such an unusual way;
3. viral and infectious diseases. Herpes, rubella, scarlet fever and ARVI sometimes manifest themselves as rashes in the mouth;
4. fungal infection (candidiasis);
5. stomatitis. Usually, with stomatitis, pimples first appear on the gums, but sometimes red spots with a whitish halo, which react sharply to touch or spicy/hot food, form over the entire lingual surface.

There is no point in waiting until diseases become chronic. In 98% of cases, such pathologies are treated quickly and inexpensively, if you do not neglect the condition and do not self-medicate.

The appearance of a pimple on the tongue: diseases and treatment

The most harmless reason for the appearance of a pimple on the tip of the tongue is mechanical damage. Regular antiseptic treatment is enough to get rid of the problem. To relieve inflammation, you can use decoctions of sage and chamomile. A prerequisite is not to touch the wound with your hands, as you risk causing a more serious infection.

Allergy

It usually manifests itself as a scattering of small pimples throughout the tongue plate; if treatment is not addressed immediately, the pathology penetrates the root of the tongue, the frenulum and affects the larynx.

Important!

The causative agent of allergies is sometimes hygiene products (toothpaste), so contact your dentist to determine what exactly causes this reaction in the body. It is problematic to calculate the consequences of an allergy; without timely detection of an aggressive allergen, serious complications may arise, including Quincke's edema.

Stomatitis

As a rule, symptoms of developing stomatitis are ulcers and erosions with a whitish coating. Visually, they are similar to acne, but are treated completely differently. In the early stages, the disease is asymptomatic, and the temperature may rise slightly. Qualified treatment is prescribed only by a dentist, depending on the nature of the damage and the prerequisites for the progression of the pathology.

Viral diseases

Usually herpes “pops up” on the lips, but its appearance on the tongue is also not uncommon. Naturally, treating a herpes rash in the mouth with antiviral ointments is impossible, and leaving it unattended is strictly contraindicated. If not treated in a timely manner, this “harmless” virus can infect any mucous membrane of the human body, including the brain. Don't take risks if you find watery scarlet or pinkish pimples in your mouth; consult a doctor immediately.

Candidiasis

A fungal infection is usually noticed when the entire oral mucosa is “strewn” with pimples with a white coating. In addition, with thrush, the temperature rises slightly, lethargy appears and appetite disappears. Self-rinsing with antifungal agents will help relieve symptoms, but the full range of treatment must be completed to eliminate the risk of relapse.

Unfortunately, there is no panacea for oral diseases yet. You can endlessly listen to advice and hope that it will help. But it is much wiser and safer for your health to visit a dentist to know exactly what to treat and how.

If you have a problem similar to that described in this article, be sure to contact our specialists. Don't diagnose yourself!

Pimples on the tongue are familiar to many. They are painful, cause discomfort and cause suffering. In fact, they are easy to treat and do not cause complications. A pimple on the tongue can appear for many reasons, most often due to microtrauma of the tongue, stomatitis or herpes. We will tell you why white, red and pink pimples appear on the tongue, as well as how to cure them.

Content:

What it is

If a pimple appears on the tongue, the main thing to understand is that, in principle, there cannot be pimples on the tongue, since there are no sebaceous glands on it. Those formations that are mistaken for pimples are not actually pimples - they are not filled with purulent exudate. Essentially, these are small swellings and ulcers on the surface of the tongue. They are called "pimples" because they are very similar. They are white, pink, red, yellow, depending on the complexity of the disease and the cause of formation.

Small pimples are very painful, they interfere with eating, talking and even bother the patient at rest. Let's try to figure out what to do, how to cure it, as well as what they are and why they appear.

White pimple

White pimples most often appear as a result of stomatitis or candidiasis. Since these two diseases are treated completely differently, you should consult a doctor at the first symptoms in order to correctly diagnose and prescribe treatment.

Candidiasis is characterized by white pimples and a coating on the tongue, which in appearance resembles cottage cheese and covers the entire surface of the oral cavity. There are also white pimples on the base, tip and under the tongue. Sometimes the entire surface may be covered with small pimples and a cheesy coating.

Diagnosing candidiasis is not difficult - if you wake up in the morning and find plaque and pimples on your tongue, you have every reason to suspect the presence of candidiasis or thrush. You should consult a doctor to confirm the diagnosis and prescribe treatment.

With stomatitis, small pimples appear on the tongue. There are usually many of them, they can merge with each other. These small white pimples at the tip or root, at the base or underneath are very painful and itchy. The pain intensifies after eating.

Without proper treatment, stomatitis will not go away on its own; you need to see a doctor to confirm the diagnosis and prescribe treatment. As a rule, it consists of antiseptic treatment of the surface of the oral cavity and lifestyle correction, since the main cause of stomatitis is insufficient oral hygiene.

Red

Red pimples on the tongue are the main sign of glossitis, an inflammatory disease. Outwardly, they look like inflamed red dots that hurt and irritate.

Glossitis can appear for many reasons:

1. allergic reaction;
2. eating too hot and spicy food;
3. alcohol abuse;
4. presence of the herpes virus.

A red pimple on the tip of the tongue can also be the result of a burn from too hot food. The papillae on the surface of the burn become greatly enlarged and swollen, outwardly it looks like a pimple. After a few days everything returns to normal.

With an allergy, many red pimples form on the surface of the tongue, which itch and cause anxiety.

With the herpes virus, a red pimple may not be the only manifestation of the disease; usually the entire surface of the oral cavity is affected.

Yellow

The appearance of yellow pimples on the tongue is usually not an independent disease. Often with stomatitis or candidiasis, the coating on the surface of the tongue takes on a yellowish rather than white tint. It all depends on the individual characteristics of the body. In addition, determining the shade is an individual matter. Therefore, yellow pimples most often also mean either candidiasis or stomatitis. To eliminate any doubts, consult a doctor; he will be able to determine for sure what disease you have encountered.

Pink

Pink pimples on the tongue, like yellow ones, are not an independent disease. Usually they are an early stage of glossitis, when the inflammatory process has not yet reached its peak. At the initial stage of the disease, they have a light pink tint, which after a few hours will turn intense red. Considering the fact that the disease is easier to treat at an early stage, if pink acne appears, you should immediately consult a doctor for advice.

Why do they appear?

As already mentioned, there are no sebaceous glands on the tongue, so “pimples” cannot appear on it in principle. After all, a pimple is an inflammation of the sebaceous gland. But the bumps and nodules that sometimes appear on the surface are very similar in appearance to pimples, which is why they got that name. Pimples under the tongue or on the tip cause a lot of trouble and are extremely painful. Let's consider the reasons for their appearance.

Mechanical damage

Often, in the process of chewing or biting food, we bite our tongue, resulting in a slight mechanical injury. The risk of surface damage increases when consuming hard foods with sharp edges (crackers, chips, seeds). A small painful swelling or bump forms at the site of the injury, which after some time turns into a white pimple. The pain intensifies while eating. With severe mechanical damage, slight swelling may occur.

You should exclude spicy and hot foods from your diet, carefully monitor oral hygiene, and after a few days the pimple will disappear on its own.

Allergic reaction

The appearance of pimples on the tongue may indicate an allergic reaction to food, medicine or toothpaste. In this case, small white pimples and sores form, which hurt and irritate when eating or drinking liquid.

If your doctor suspects an allergy, it is very important to identify the allergen and eliminate it from your diet. First of all, you should stop chewing gum, change toothpaste and tooth elixir - you may be allergic to oral hygiene products. If these measures do not bring the desired result, you need to analyze whether you have recently taken medications. Pimples on the tongue after antibiotics and other medications are a common occurrence. In this case, you should consult your doctor and stop taking the drug or try replacing it with another one.

If the cause of acne is a food allergy, you need to track what foods they appear after and eliminate these foods from your diet.

Stomatitis

Stomatitis is a common cause of white or red pimples on the surface of the tongue. The main cause of stomatitis is insufficient oral hygiene, exposure to pathogenic bacteria on the mucous membranes due to dirty hands, unwashed fruits and vegetables. Most often, children suffer from stomatitis, because they tend to put everything in their mouth.

With stomatitis, small white, pink or red pimples appear on the surface of the tongue and other mucous membranes of the mouth, which burn, irritate and hurt not only during eating, but also at rest. It is sometimes difficult not only to eat, but also to talk or simply swallow saliva. Small pimples under the tongue or at the root cause severe discomfort.

At the first suspicion of stomatitis, you should consult a doctor, he will prescribe medications that relieve itching and soreness of the tongue, as well as promote the speedy healing of ulcers and pimples.

Herpes

The herpes virus most often affects the area around the lips. However, this is not the only place where it is localized; herpes can affect all mucous surfaces of the human body, including the oral cavity. In this case, one or more watery pimples may appear on the tongue and inner surface of the cheeks. Many people do not pay enough attention to the herpes virus, believing that it will go away on its own. In fact, this is not such a harmless disease.

Without proper treatment, herpes can eventually affect the entire body, including the brain. Therefore, if you have a herpes virus, you should consult a doctor and undergo a course of antiherpetic therapy.

Poor nutrition

If you eat too much spicy and hot food, inflammation of the tongue, or glossitis, may occur. The papillae on the surface of the tongue are constantly irritated by hot or spicy foods, which leads to their inflammation. If your diet constantly contains spicy foods, inflammation can become chronic.

Drinking alcohol in large quantities, as well as smoking, can cause inflammation of the tongue. Therefore, when the first problems appear, you should immediately try to get rid of bad habits.

Pathologies of the patient's internal organs

Pimples on the surface of the tongue can be a manifestation of various diseases, including candidiasis or tuberculosis. Therefore, you should not take the appearance of small pimples lightly. Be sure to monitor their behavior. If a pimple does not go away for a long time, be sure to consult a doctor.

Weakened immunity

If the immune system is weakened as a result of a previous illness or due to a lack of vitamins and microelements, small painful pimples may appear on the surface of the tongue. If there are no other reasons for their appearance, you should contact an immunologist to check the state of the immune system. If malfunctions are detected in its functioning, it is necessary to take immunomodulators, as well as drugs with lactobacilli to normalize intestinal function and correct the activity of the immune system.

What to do

The human oral cavity is home to many bacteria, both beneficial and pathogenic. They have both negative and positive effects on the human body. Pathogenic bacteria cause inflammatory processes, including glossitis, or inflammation of the tongue. Often patients notice a white pimple that reacts with pain to every touch. In fact, this is not a pimple, but an inflamed nodule. In medicine, such inflamed nodules are called glossitis.

A transparent pimple under the tongue can occur as a result of mechanical damage or as an allergic reaction to chemical and food irritants.

You can get rid of glossitis only through comprehensive measures. The first step is to consult a doctor to determine the true cause of its occurrence. The oral cavity should be kept clean, preferably rinsed with a soda solution or a decoction of St. John's wort. It is also necessary to strengthen the immune system and limit the consumption of spicy and too hot foods so as not to irritate the inflamed nodule.

Location: on the base

Pimples at the base of the tongue interfere with swallowing and even speaking, they hurt and cause a lot of trouble. The reasons for their appearance can be very diverse. It could be stomatitis, a fungal infection, a sore throat or pharyngitis. Only an experienced doctor can make a correct diagnosis. We can only suggest what you should pay attention to.

If a pimple appears on the base of the tongue, you should carefully analyze other symptoms - fever, enlarged lymph nodes, the presence of allergic reactions. For example, with a sore throat, pimples form near the throat quite often. They are painful, make swallowing difficult and cause pain when talking. In this case, the patient also has enlarged tonsils and submandibular lymph nodes, and an elevated temperature. As a matter of fact, acne and fever almost always occur either with a sore throat, or with tonsillitis or pharyngitis.

It is undesirable to ignore pimples on the tongue near the throat, since in particularly advanced cases they can interfere with breathing, which can lead to suffocation. Therefore, having discovered them in yourself, you need to contact an ENT specialist to make a diagnosis.

Location: at the tip

A white pimple on the tip of the tongue can appear at the site of a microtrauma as a result of an infection entering the wound. Fans of chips, seeds, pistachios and other nuts are especially susceptible to developing pimples on the tip of the tongue. Solid foods scratch the delicate tip of the tongue, causing pathogenic bacteria to enter the wound, causing it to become inflamed and painful.

Often a pimple occurs due to an exacerbation of the herpes simplex virus against the background of decreased immunity. In this case, strengthen your immune system and take vitamin complexes. But in any case, consult a doctor and get tested to make an accurate diagnosis.

Also, a pimple can pop out due to chronic stomatitis. If the patient has a weakened immune system and has carious teeth, persistent infection in the oral cavity sooner or later leads to stomatitis. Without timely treatment, it can become chronic, periodically exacerbating.

A white pimple that appears on the tip or side of the tongue causes a lot of inconvenience. To get rid of it, you need to know why these pimples appear. The appearance of small pimples on the tongue is often caused by various diseases of the oral cavity or insufficient hygienic treatment.

general characteristics

A pimple on the tongue is a sign of an inflammatory process, so it needs to be treated under the supervision of a doctor. These pimples are small in size - 1-2 mm, but cause severe discomfort, which is due to the good innervation of the tongue, which is necessary for taste sensitivity.

If a pimple appears on your tongue, you need to determine its type:

1. red ones appear due to a decrease in immunity, allergic reactions, and an abundance of bad habits;
2. whites occur against the background of a viral or fungal infection of the oral cavity;
3. pink - when the taste bud becomes inflamed;
4. rashes in the form of red ulcers appear with stomatitis.

The differences between different types of acne are clearly visible in the photo:

To make a correct diagnosis, you need to determine where the pimple appears on the tongue. There are several possible localizations:

1. on the root - characteristic of pharyngitis, Kawasaki syndrome;
2. on the side – occur with stomatitis, allergic reactions, traumatic injury;
3. at the throat - appear with tonsillitis;
4. at the tip - occur due to microtraumas received from eating food or hot drinks;
5. on the frenulum - characteristic of glossitis.

If pimples appear under the tongue and are accompanied by swelling (increase in size), severe pain and a rise in body temperature, the patient should consult a doctor. This condition is life-threatening: a swollen organ can block the airways, and the person will not be able to breathe.

If a white pimple appears on the tongue, the organ hurts and is covered with a cheesy coating - this is a sign of a fungal disease of the mouth. The white color of the formation indicates pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, and yellow indicates diseases of the biliary system and pancreas. To cure a pimple on the tongue, you need to get rid of the cause of its appearance.

Reasons for appearance

The reasons why a pimple on the tongue may appear are different. The most common include:

1. Allergic reactions. The body reacts to the allergen, which causes a characteristic rash on the body and on the mucous membranes of the mouth. The cause of acne lies in a food, drug or chemical allergen.
2. Traumatic injury. Pimples on the tongue can appear due to injuries, because they are accompanied by an inflammatory process. The integrity of tissues is damaged by the action of a sharp object (piercing), products with high acidity, and during certain dental procedures (installation of braces, prosthetics).
3. Inflammatory process. Papillitis or glossitis are diseases that are infectious or traumatic in nature.

1. Hormonal disorders. They provoke aphthous stomatitis, accompanied by the appearance of ulcers on the tongue that resemble pimples.
2. Insufficient hygiene. If the oral cavity is not cleaned sufficiently, dead cells and food particles accumulate on the surface of the tongue, causing bacteria to multiply, causing inflammation and the appearance of small pimples.

Fungal infection. When a doctor discovers a white pimple and a cheesy coating on the tip of the tongue, he prescribes drugs for candidiasis to the patient.

Unlike skin rashes on the body, pimples on the tongue are not caused by blocked sebaceous ducts, but by many more serious reasons.

How to treat a pimple on the tongue at home

Treatment of acne on the tongue should be aimed at eliminating the cause of its occurrence, which may be hidden in a serious internal disease. But recovery comes faster and easier if you create optimal conditions for this:

1. Eliminate possible allergens, too hot or cold foods, and fruits with high acidity from the diet. Limit the consumption of spices and salt.
2. Avoid fatty and fried foods, as well as bread and coconut oil.
3. Limit consumption of sweet and sour desserts.
4. Reduce the amount of dairy products consumed.
5. Increase the volume of liquid you drink - at least 2 liters per day.

Mouthwash

Increase the amount of fruits and vegetables in your daily diet and replace coffee and fruit juices with water.

If these conditions are met, getting rid of the pimple occurs on its own. If the lump is still painful after 3-5 days, treatment by a specialist is necessary.

Treatment with medications

If a person is unable to get rid of a pimple on the tongue on his own, he should consult a dentist. After the initial examination, the doctor will prescribe a treatment regimen or refer the patient to another specialist if the disease is not related to his field of activity.

The choice of drugs depends on the type of pathogen. If the disease is caused by bacteria, antibiotics and antibacterial antiseptics are prescribed. If the disease is viral in nature, treatment with antiviral drugs is indicated. If oral thrush or fungal stomatitis is detected, treatment is carried out using antifungal drugs.

The most famous antifungal drug is Candide (see photo). This remedy can be used to treat both adults and children. First, you should get rid of the daily plaque in the mouth, then all areas of the mucous membrane are treated with Candida solution: the cheeks on the sides, gums, lips and the surface of the tongue. Positive dynamics in treatment can be noticed after 2 days. All symptoms of infection will disappear in 7–10 days. To prevent new pimples from appearing on the tongue, it is necessary to continue treatment until the course is completed.

If an infant has oral thrush, pacifiers, bottle nipples, and breasts should be treated with an antifungal agent before feeding. This will help avoid re-infection.

It is possible to prescribe other medications: Nystatin and Diflucan. Since such drugs have many contraindications and side effects, they should be prescribed exclusively by a dentist or other doctor.

If the formation on the tongue is painful, use ointments with anesthetic properties. These include Kholisal and Kamistad. They fight germs that cause inflammation of the tongue, which is the cause of pain.

Since a pimple on the tongue takes more than one day to treat, anesthetic drugs help alleviate the patient’s condition. Gels with anesthetics are applied pointwise to the inflamed papillae of the tongue 30 minutes before eating and before bed. They are often prescribed in combination with other medications.

Treatment with natural remedies

If you still can’t get an appointment with a doctor, and the white pimple that has popped up on your tongue hurts unbearably, you can make applications, rinses and other folk remedies to alleviate the condition. To do this, you can use everything you can find at home:

1. Salt. You need to make a solution by taking 1 tbsp. l. salt and 1 glass of boiled water, mixing the ingredients. You should rinse your mouth with the prepared product after each snack.
2. 
   
   
   
   Soda. The solution is prepared from 2 tsp. soda and 1 glass of water. Then they soak gauze and wipe their cheeks, tongue and lips.
3. Soda + salt. You need to take 1 tsp. soda and salt, dissolve them in one glass of boiled water and treat the oral cavity with the resulting mixture. This type of treatment, such as rinsing, is only suitable for adults, as the child may swallow some of the solution.
4. Aloe. The pulp of the leaf is applied to the place where the pimple popped up. Be prepared for the fact that aloe is very bitter.
5. Honey. The most popular folk method of combating pain is not suitable for children due to the risk of developing allergic reactions.

With the help of folk remedies, it is impossible to cure the internal disease that caused the appearance of a pimple, serious inflammation in the oral cavity, stomatitis, candidiasis and other diseases. However, they can be used in conjunction with drug therapy, as they promote a speedy recovery. For example, the same soda changes the acidity of the oral cavity, which slows down the proliferation of fungi and bacteria.

At home, you can prepare infusions and decoctions of herbs. Inflammation of the bumps on the tongue is perfectly relieved by sage, red pimples on the tongue are removed by celandine or chamomile. To prepare any infusion you need to take 2 tbsp. l. crushed plant material and pour one glass of boiling water over them. The solution is infused for 30 minutes and then used to rinse the mouth after each snack.

If a small pimple appears on your tongue, you can make applications with the addition of oil: peach, rosehip, grape seed, clove. The procedure is carried out every 6–8 hours.

Prevention measures

To avoid acne on the tongue, you must follow these rules:

1. 
   
   
   
   wash your hands with antibacterial soap after walking, eating, and using the restroom;
2. carry out hygienic treatment of the oral cavity using toothpaste and a brush at least 2 times a day;
3. limit the consumption of foods that irritate the mucous membranes;
4. get rid of bad habits;
5. observe drinking regime;
6. eat rationally and balanced.

If, even with all preventive measures, the tongue continues to become inflamed, you need to visit a dentist. Self-prescription of drugs complicates diagnosis when visiting a doctor, delays and complicates treatment, and can lead to unpleasant consequences.

Pimples on the tongue can appear in a variety of places - on the side, at the root, on the frenulum. If your tongue is severely inflamed, you need to contact your dentist so that he can prescribe proper treatment. Before taking it, you can use home remedies. If the pimple hurts a lot, you need to use gels with an anesthetic. By following preventative measures, the chances of reoccurrence of the disease are significantly reduced.