Sore or white tongue

A sore or white tongue is not usually serious and is often easily treated.

Things you can do yourself

Do

use a soft toothbrush to brush your teeth
brush your tongue or use a scraper to help improve a white tongue
use a straw to drink cool drinks
take paracetamol or ibuprofen

Don’t

do not use a toothpaste that contains sodium lauryl sulphate
do not eat hard, spicy, salty, acidic or hot food and drink that may irritate your tongue
do not smoke
do not drink alcohol

You can ask a pharmacist about:

what’s causing your sore or white tongue
if you can buy anything to help with any pain or irritation
if you should see a dentist or GP

Find a pharmacy

Non-urgent advice: See a GP or dentist if you:

have pain or itchiness that does not go away or gets worse
have white patches on your tongue

Common causes of a sore or white tongue

Biting or burning your tongue with hot food or drink can cause pain and swelling. But this should only last a few days.

A white tongue can be a sign of a health condition.

Do not self-diagnose – see a GP if you’re worried.

Lichen planus

Open mouth showing bottom row of teeth, with white patches on the tongue and inside the cheek — White patches on the tongue and inside the cheek, with sore gums

Read about lichen planus.

Leukoplakia

Pink tongue poking out of the mouth with solid white patches on the left side and tip — White, raised patches on the tongue, inside of the cheeks, or on the gums, that do not come off when you rub them

Read about leukoplakia.

Geographic tongue

Pink tongue with patches of white poking out of mouth — Blotchy, red patches on the tongue that have a white or light-coloured border

Read about geographic tongue.

Mouth ulcer

White/grey round sore on the side of a tongue poking out of mouth — Round, painful and swollen sores that look like blisters and can appear on the tongue, inside of the cheeks, or on the lips

Read about mouth ulcers.

Oral thrush

Tongue with solid white patch from the middle to the back — Itchy, red mouth with white patches on the tongue

Read about oral thrush.

Page last reviewed: 2 June 2020
Next review due: 2 June 2023

admin

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Penhill Pharmacy
257A Penhill Drive
Swindon SN2 5HN

Tel
01793 723 534

Opening Hours
Monday – Friday
08:30AM – 05:30PM

Company

Business