Oral health is more than dazzling teeth and a bright smile. Practice frequent and thorough inspections of your mouth's inner surfaces, including the underside of your tongue, to ensure no hidden medical problems are present. Although usually no cause for concern, white bumps on your tongue or mouth floor can be symptomatic of more serious conditions.
Significance
Skin lesions on the ventral surface, or underside, of the tongue can be insignificant signs of mild oral disorders or they can represent serious, cancerous conditions. Most tongue bumps should clear up on their own within seven days. If not, you should consult with your dentist or medical practitioner to have them biopsied.
Oral skin cancer is the ultimate concern associated with any tongue lesion. Your chances of having this disease are much higher if you smoke cigarettes or cigars, use smokeless tobacco products or drink alcohol. However, according to Nebraska dentist Dr. Dan Peterson one-fourth of those individuals diagnosed with oral cancers are not in these high risk groups. Peterson further notes that the tongue is a common site for cancer.
Causes
Although many conditions can cause white oral lesions, only a few cause bumps on the ventral surface: oral candidiasis, leukoplakia and apthous ulcers. White bumps on the bottom of the tongue can also signify life-threatening changes in the cells of the mouth. Early detection and treatment are critical to the prevention of dangerous oral cancers, according to MedlinePlus.
Candidiasis
Oral candidasis, or thrush, is an infection caused by the fungus, Candida albicans. The symptomatic, creamy white tongue lesions are often painful and can bleed when scraped. Leukoplakia is usually minor, unless you are debilitated by other health problems. Your doctor can diagnose candidiasis by looking at the lesions or by taking a sample to examine under a microscope. Unsweetened yogurt or acidophilus capsules help to lessen the infection by restoring the normal bacteria in your your mouth. Additionally, your doctor might have to prescribe an anti-fungal medication, according to MayoClinic.com.
Leukoplakia
If you smoke cigarettes or use smokeless tobacco and notice thickened white patches on the bottom of your mouth or tongue, you might have a condition known as leukoplakia. While leukoplakia lesions are usually benign, they can show areas of early cancer or occur near cancerous sites. Your doctor will probably take biopsies of the affected areas to rule out cancer. The findings will determine treatment, which could include removal of the patches with a scalpel, laser or cryoprobe, which is an instrument that destroys cancer cells through freezing, according to MayoClinic.com.
Apthous Ulcers
Apthous ulcers are also known as canker sores. No one knows exactly what causes these painful, white mouth sores. However, canker sores tend to coincide with oral injuries, allergies and food sensitivities, diet issues, inflammatory bowel disease, emotional stress, hormonal changes, celiac disease, immune disorders and irritation from toothpaste or mouthwash. Apthous ulcers may clear up without treatment within a week or two, or your doctor can prescribe oral steroid medications, nutritional supplements or topical solutions to hasten recovery, according to MedlinePlus.
Oral Cancer
Although oral cancers can start anywhere in your mouth, you should be especially concerned with any lesion that appears on your tongue or the floor of your mouth. According to MedlinePlus, you have a higher risk for mouth cancer if you are a male older than 40 years of age, drink alcohol or smoke, or have had cancer elsewhere in the head or neck area. White mouth patches and sores that won't heal are symptoms of oral cancer.
