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.
Consultation with a dentist: Pimple on tongue after injury
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:
- allergic reaction;
- eating too hot and spicy food;
- alcohol abuse;
- the 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.
Treatment options
If you know the cause of acne formation, then you can carry out symptomatic treatment aimed at eliminating them. When the appearance of formations is caused by a sore throat, antibacterial drugs are prescribed. Candidiasis is treated with antifungal agents, herpes with antiviral agents, and allergies with antihistamines. It is important that treatment is prescribed by a doctor; taking it on your own can worsen the condition and cause a lot of problems.
During therapy, it is important to follow recommendations regarding nutrition and oral hygiene. If you have a painful symptom, you should exclude hot drinks and dishes, spicy, salty and sweet foods from your diet. If pimples on the tongue are closer to the tip, then you should not chew seeds and nuts, or eat hard foods, which can further injure the mucous membrane. It is important to stop drinking alcoholic beverages and nicotine. Also, after any meal, it is recommended to thoroughly rinse your mouth to remove food debris, which can be an excellent breeding ground for bacteria.
To relieve inflammation and relieve discomfort, you can rinse several times a day with an infusion of herbs such as chamomile, calendula, sage, and sea buckthorn. A good disinfectant is a soda solution, which is especially important for candidiasis. The inflammatory process can also be stopped by sucking bee nectar or honey.
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.
Causes
The mucous membrane of the mouth is a fairly resistant surface to various influences. But when it is injured, or an imbalance occurs in the body due to diseases, an inflammatory process can occur, which leads to the formation of a bubble under the tongue. Other problems can also be the main causes of pathology.
If the ball under the tongue is small in size with transparent contents, this is a slight blockage of the salivary gland duct.
You can pierce it yourself with a needle treated with an antiseptic or heated over a flame. A small wound will remain in place of the ball, which heals on its own in 1-2 days.
Dentist
Novikova Olga Alexandrovna
8 years of experience
Injury
Mechanical disruption of the salivary duct of the gland leads to the thickening of the connective tissue and this causes the appearance of a ball under the tongue. A toothbrush with rough bristles, fish bones, a chipped tooth, a toothpick, breaking the cover, activates inflammation.
Antihygiene
In this case, a blister under the tongue appears due to failure to observe basic oral hygiene. This could be someone else's toothbrush, spoons, forks, or rare care.
Syphilis
This disease tends to negatively affect the condition of the mucous membranes, causing tumors.
Complications after illness
The bubble occurs after suffering from mumps, sore throat, or influenza. The salivary gland swells, and against the background of this, stagnation of secretion occurs.
Infection
Microtraumas that occur on the mucous membrane can be infected with bacteria and microbes, fungus, which leads to the formation of an inflamed blister.
Oncology
The disease provokes the formation of a tumor that puts pressure on the area under the tongue. In the early stages, the disease goes unnoticed, but over time, saliva production decreases and a transparent cyst appears, which eventually grows to 3 centimeters.
Food and medicine
A blood ball under the tongue appears for the following reasons:
- Injury that occurs from biting the mucous membrane while eating.
- Chemical burn.
- Hot food or drink.
- Medicines.
- Spicy and salty foods.
- Blocking the duct with a stone.
Ranula
A ball under the tongue can cause ranula. It appears against the background of an inflammatory process in the sublingual area or when the normal functioning of the salivary gland is disrupted. Initially, the disease manifests itself as a bluish discoloration in the oral cavity. After which a bubble appears, which after some time bursts and is observed again in the same place.
The formation of a ball under the tongue is promoted by injury, infection, syphilis, cancer, aphthous stomatitis, medications and food.
The pathology is asymptomatic. Sometimes bloody spots appear in the bladder.
An external examination, medical history, blood and saliva tests, puncture, and dental consultation can help identify the root cause.
For treatment, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory drugs, vitamins are prescribed, and the diet is changed. Surgical intervention is indicated for cysts and neoplasms.
Experts still cannot establish the causes of this disease. Some believe that the pathology arose against the background of an inflammatory process, while others suggest that these are epithelial inclusions of germinal origin. That is, the tumor is a cystic epithelial neoplasm.
The pathology develops against the background of blockage of the salivary gland duct and does not allow saliva to be released into the oral area. This leads to the fact that it accumulates in the gland, which increases to 5 cm in diameter. After which the formation is ruptured on its own or opened by a surgeon using a scalpel.
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The ranula looks like a bubble with a clear liquid, which does not cause pain, but brings discomfort to the patient in the oral mucosa.
Aphthous stomatitis
Aphthous stomatitis is also one of the causes of a bubble under the tongue. This is an inflammatory process that occurs in the area of the oral mucosa, which is manifested by the appearance of aphthae. Aphthous stomatitis is a common disease and can be treated by a dentist.
The main factors in the occurrence of pathology are:
- disruptions in the functioning of the immune system;
- viruses;
- hormonal fluctuations;
- heredity;
- allergic reactions;
- diseases of the digestive tract;
- diseases of the gums and teeth;
- injuries;
- lack of nutrition;
- hypovitaminosis;
- stress, depression, nervous tension;
- accompanying illnesses;
- violation of personal hygiene rules.
Aphthous stomatitis is very common in young children, especially during teething. At this point, you should definitely consult a doctor.
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.
Diagnostics
If a bubble appears in the sublingual area, you should definitely consult a doctor, as this may signal disturbances in the functioning of the body and dangerous diseases. The specialist is obliged to carry out diagnostic measures that will help find the causes of the pathology:
- Study of all symptoms and complaints.
- Determining the presence of chronic diseases and injuries in the oral cavity.
- External examination of the tongue.
- Laboratory tests of blood and saliva.
- Puncture of the contents of the bladder under the tongue.
- Examination by a dentist.
The specialist analyzes the results and prescribes the correct treatment, in some cases surgery.
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 in 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 for 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.
