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Growth In Tongue, Growing In Size, Slightly Painful. How Should I Treat It Or Who Should I See?
Posted on
Mon, 9 Jan 2012
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Mon, 9 Jan 2012
Answered on
Sat, 23 Jun 2012
Last reviewed on
Question : I have a bizarre growth on the center of my tongue. It started (I think) as a burn from hot tea, but it's been almost I year. I didn't really think anything about it until my dentist asked me if it hurt and I said no. That was 6 months ago and it's getting bigger and slightly painful. How should I treat it or who should I see?
Hello and thank you for submitting your question.
Your question is a very good one and I will work on providing you with some good information and recommendations regarding what is going on.
From your question it seems that you suffered an injury to your tongue via a burn type of injury. Depending on the severity of the burn this type of injury can sometimes create an inflammatory reaction within the tissue of the injured tongue. During the process of healing in some cases this can cause the tiny area to become quite large as the body struggles to return to the normal state. this sometimes occurs in some patients after a small injury to the skin. Scar tissue forms and a large areas of soft tissue can sometimes be created. These are referred to as keloids.
In your case I suspect that there is a inflammatory reaction going on within the tissue of your tongue which has now created a small area which is expanding. This is what you are appreciating and this is what your dentist has discussed with you. At this point it is important that you seek the expertise and evaluation of a physician who has experience in this type of phenomenon. I would recommend that you see an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. This position has particular expertise in a field which will certainly provide a benefit for you in the form of a consultation. At some point you may need a small biopsy of the affected area. This will allow a pathologist to correlate your symptoms with the tissue under the microscope.
At some point after a thorough examination and possible biopsy your physician can recommend possible treatments. This might include a small surgical procedure or possibly an injection. Sometimes injection of steroids into tissue which has been injured can mitigate an inflammatory response.
At this point I recommend that you seek consultation again from an oral and next will facial surgeon. Your doctor should be able to provide this referral to you.
I thank you again for submitting your question. I hope you found my response to be helpful and informative. If you have any additional concerns I would be happy to address them. If you do have the ability I would appreciate it if you could send me a couple of pictures of the affected area on your tongue. You can send this to my attention at the following address: YYYY@YYYY
Sincerely,
Dr. Robert
Your question is a very good one and I will work on providing you with some good information and recommendations regarding what is going on.
From your question it seems that you suffered an injury to your tongue via a burn type of injury. Depending on the severity of the burn this type of injury can sometimes create an inflammatory reaction within the tissue of the injured tongue. During the process of healing in some cases this can cause the tiny area to become quite large as the body struggles to return to the normal state. this sometimes occurs in some patients after a small injury to the skin. Scar tissue forms and a large areas of soft tissue can sometimes be created. These are referred to as keloids.
In your case I suspect that there is a inflammatory reaction going on within the tissue of your tongue which has now created a small area which is expanding. This is what you are appreciating and this is what your dentist has discussed with you. At this point it is important that you seek the expertise and evaluation of a physician who has experience in this type of phenomenon. I would recommend that you see an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. This position has particular expertise in a field which will certainly provide a benefit for you in the form of a consultation. At some point you may need a small biopsy of the affected area. This will allow a pathologist to correlate your symptoms with the tissue under the microscope.
At some point after a thorough examination and possible biopsy your physician can recommend possible treatments. This might include a small surgical procedure or possibly an injection. Sometimes injection of steroids into tissue which has been injured can mitigate an inflammatory response.
At this point I recommend that you seek consultation again from an oral and next will facial surgeon. Your doctor should be able to provide this referral to you.
I thank you again for submitting your question. I hope you found my response to be helpful and informative. If you have any additional concerns I would be happy to address them. If you do have the ability I would appreciate it if you could send me a couple of pictures of the affected area on your tongue. You can send this to my attention at the following address: YYYY@YYYY
Sincerely,
Dr. Robert
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
Answered by
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