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Suggest Treatment For Whitish Bumps At The Sides Of Tongue

Posted on Wed, 22 Jun 2016

Question: Hello everyone. I have recently gotten some white bumps on the side of my mouth that are worrying me a bit. I noticed a strange feeling in my mouth like my tongue was a little larger then usually. It was rubbing against my teeth. I ignored it but right before I went to bed I checked it out. I was surprised and scared to find a row of white bumps on each side of my tongue. My wife advised me to take some Benadryl and tell my dentist the next day since I already had an appointment. The following morning I woke up to the spots being much smaller in size. I chalked it up to the Benadryl but within two hours they were back. I told my dentist but he didn't seem to know what it was. He scheduled me for a follow up in two weeks and said that he would refer me to the surgeon if it doesn't get better. I went home and took another Benadryl but this time it hasn't gone down after a couple of hours. Can somebody please give me some advice on how to move forward. I am worried and it feels really weird in my mouth.

link to pictures

http://imgur.com/a/RoFy8

Some extra info: I mowed my backyard yesterday for the first time since not going back there since last year. I also ate a bunch of Airborne immune system gummies a couple of hours before that but I have had them before.

Answered by Dr. Honey Arora (21 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Bumps seems to be hyperkeratotic patches.

Detailed Answer:
Hi..
Welcome to HEALTHCARE MAGIC..

I have gone through your query and can understand your concerns..

As per your complain and the image attached it seems that the whitish bumps at the sides of tongue are following a particular pattern..

They are located in the areas of the tongue that is repeatedly being rubbed against the teeth and are appearing to be due to excessive keratin formation leading to white slightly raised patches caused due to Frictional Keratosis..

Swelling of tongue is however most commonly seen due to allergic reaction to any food or medicine while can also be due to other common allergens..

You should consult an Allergist and get evaluated so that he can do a proper clinical examination and also advise investigations to rule out the cause for swelling in tongue and treat accordingly..

For white spots if it is due to Frictional Keratosis, the spots will gradually resolve once the tongue swelling will subside and it will stop rubbing to the sides of teeth...

Any further questions are welcome..

Hope this information helps..

Thanks and regards.
Dr.Honey Nandwani Arora.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Arnab Banerjee

Follow up: Dr. Honey Arora (22 minutes later)

Thank you very much for your response. I really appreciate it.

Should i be concerned that i have noticed a similar white line on the inside of my cheek? They seem to be raised off of the surface of my inner cheek.

Does this Frictional Keratosis usually occur so quickly? It came back within two hours after not being there when I woke up.

Thank you again for your response.

Answered by Dr. Honey Arora (6 hours later)

Brief Answer:
White line inside the cheek can be linea XXXXXXX

Detailed Answer:
Hi..
Welcome Back..

As per your query, white line on inner cheek that is raised can be Linea XXXXXXX and it might be resent bilaterally that is on both cheeks..

It is fibrous thickening of the mucosa and is completely harmless..

As far as frictional keratosis is concerned, it will not occur within 2 hours after being not there, also it will not disappear within hours..

But I have reviewed your image and it looks like frictional keratosis only..

You can however consult an Oral Pathologist who can take a few scrapings from the white spots and have a microscopic examination for confirmation..

Any further queries are welcome..

Regards.

Note: Find out which dental treatment will work best for your teeth. Ask here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Sonia Raina