Oral Health Community

the big tastebuds in the back of the tongue are normal, everyone has them.

however, i see you have other enlarged taste buds in some other parts of your tongue.

I have a similar problem, with a similar whitish tongue:

http://postimage.org/image/xebh7gwmj/
http://postimage.org/image/kodct2k3d/

my tastebuds are raised near the tip of my tongue. unfortunately, this problem persists for about 5 months now.

along with the raised tastebuds (which sometimes are painful), the tongue is white, and I have excess of saliva (I think this causes my tongue to be white), and teeth marks in the border.

i am documenting my case here

http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/list/2076759?personal_page_id=2596707

this problems started about 4 months after a sexual exposure with a girl of unknown status for STIs/HIV.

Hi joewithaproblem,

Although I cannot diagnose on line the attached photo looks like a totally benign clinical condition known as Geographic Tongue. The red areas tend to look flat without the little hairlike papilla (the normal white hairlike projections kniwn as filliform papilla)and often have a slightly raised white border.

The reason it is called Geographic Tongue - or benign migratory glossitis - is that 90% of the time it occurs only on the tongue, usually the lateral (side) borders and the top of the tongue. It tends to be seen on the anterior third of the tongue (tip) but can occur anywhere.

This is a well known condition and is often hereditary and seen with another condition known as fissured tongue. So the next time you see your parents, siblings or children look in their mout and more likely than not someone else will have a similar looking tongue.

This is a variation of normal. It is not spreading on your tongue it is getting better in one place and developing in another. It is not contagious you did not get it from anyone and you cannot give it to anyone. It is not caused by a virus. It is not a canker sore, cold sore or yeast infection.

The reason it can be painful is that the little white hairlike papilla are composed of keratin like your skin hair and nails. We do not know why these papilla fall off with geographic tongue however we know that they do. Without this protection the papilla provide your tongue is naked in these areas and therefore may be uncomfortable with hot, spicy or acidic foods. The papilla will gow back, give it some time.

On a purely anecdotal level, and I have seen hundreds of patients with Geographic Tongue it does seem to become more active with stress. I suggest that you see your dentist to confirm the diagnosis. It is a clinical diagnosis and neither lab tests or biopsy is required. In general I do not treat geographic tongue unless it has become secondarily infected with yeast or bacteria however in my entire career as an oral pathologist I have probably only teated a handful of patients.

It is often misdiagnosed as an oral yeast infection. The anti fungal medication may provide some relief but it is really only treating a secondary yeast infection and the effect is mostly placebo. Yeast is a normal part of your oral flora and keeps your mouth balanced and healthy. If anyone tries to culture your tongue or do a scraping run for the door. if you need a diagnostic procedure you should have a biopsy. and for the record it is not suggestive of a systemic yeast infection, and it is not due to eating bread. If this is geographic tongue antibiotics are never an appropriate treatment, in fact antibiotics will probably make your tongue feel worse. It is not bacterial.

I have found that most people, once they have a diagnosis, are much less stressed about their tongue (with a diagnosis) which will actually make it hurt less. Stop looking at it, playing with it and worrying about it. If it continues to bother you I suggest seeing either a specialist in oral medicine or oral pathology.

If you are using a alcohol based mouth rinse stop it will give you a chemical burn on the unprotected areas of the tongue. In fact stop all mouth rinses and use the most bland old fashioned tooth paste you can find, stay away from the whitening products and look for a toothpaste without SLS. Your pharmacist can help you find one. Do not use hydrogen peroxide as that may also cause a chemical burn. Do not use "organic" toothpaste, many have volatile oils which can also cause a superficial chemical burn. I know it seems like it would be a good idea but in many cases it will make the burning feeling much worse.

Basically once you have confirmed the diagnosis it will be less of a concern, less stress and faster resolution.

I hope this helps.

Dr. Gwen Cohen Brown

Thanks for your response.

Hi, I have had the same problem for 7 weeks now. I feel for you because it is so irritating! What did you do to treat it and cure the problem. Everything I use even salt water seems to make it have a stinging burning sensation.

Kami

Kami, can you detail your problem? do you have raised tastebuds? if so, where in your tongue? are these raised tastebuds painful?

I may not be the person who you were replying to, but could you help me if I gave you my symptoms? You seem to know a lot.

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http://forums.webmd.com/3/oral-health-exchange/forum/1940