Swollen, Painful Tongue With Spots On It. Casual Smoker. Suggest Treatment

Posted on Mon, 8 Apr 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Mon, 8 Apr 2013 Answered on

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : Hi there... over the past 5 days the sides of my tongue been have swollen in spots & the it is somewhat hard and painful... I thought at first I lust bit my tongue ~ I am a 44 year old female & I am a very casual smoker (maybe 5-10 in a month & then none many months) I'm hoping you can help me... it hurts & feels weird in my mouth ~ also the top of tongue has a white film on it... thank you for your time!!!

Answered by Dr. Sumit Bhatti (16 minutes later)

Hi,

Thank you for your query.

1. If you can share close-up images of your tongue, I will be able to give you an accurate opinion.

2. The most common cause for these swollen spots (glossitis), firm and coated tongue will be vitamin and mineral deficiencies, anaemia, iron deficiency, acid reflux, allergy, fungal or herpes infections, dehydration and indigestion.

3. Use a medicated mouth wash, take multi-vitamin supplements, reduce dairy products, control allergy and acidity, if any and use a tongue cleaner gently and regularly for a few days. Some of the above conditions will require the examination and treatment of a local doctor.

I hope that I have answered your queries. If you have any further questions, I will be available to answer them.

Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar