Q: I have these raised red bumps on my tongue and they’ve been there for maybe 9 or 10 months now. I also get white tongue a lot, so I have to keep brushing my teeth and chewing gum to get rid of it. Do you know what this could be?
A: The tongue is naturally covered with small bumps. These bumps are called papillae and generally show up whenever there is any trauma or irritation in the mouth. Other causes of red raised bumps on tongue are: infections, canker sores, allergies, strep infection and oral herpes. Red bumps on the tongue may also be caused by some sort of allergy, especially food allergies.
The white coating on your tongue can be due to collection of bacteria and dead tongue cells. It probably represents the normal layer of dead keratinized cells that are formed on the top surface of the tongue. Other common causes of white coating on your tongue are dehydration, yeast infection. The most probable cause of your symptoms seems to be either food allergies or infection.
You need a physical examination and tongue swab testing. I advise you to make an appointment with your doctor for these tests and examination to know the exact cause. Then treatment can be done accordingly.
— Answer from Dr. Charles, physician on JustAnswer.
Daily Answer is excerpted from the JustAnswer archives and features information provided by a Expert on JustAnswer.
