Tongue pain or soreness
Aphthous mouth ulcers
Aphthous mouth ulcers are painful round or oval sores that can occur anywhere in the mouth and are common on the underside of the tongue.
Mouth ulcers are sometimes caused by damage to the mouth, such as accidentally biting your tongue or eating something hard and sharp.
Ulcers that keep recurring may be caused by stress, anxiety, eating certain foods, stopping smoking , or hormonal changes some women develop mouth ulcers during their monthly period .
In the meantime, you may be able to manage the pain by taking over-the-counter painkillers and avoiding anything that makes it worse, such as eating spicy foods.
See your GP or dentist if you have a mouth ulcer that doesn't improve within a few weeks or you develop ulcers regularly.
Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 21 Dec 2018
Introduction
Find out about the possible causes of a sore or painful tongue. Common causes include geographic tongue, oral thrush and aphthous mouth ulcers.
Geographic tongue
Geographic tongue is a condition where irregular smooth, red patches that have a white or light-coloured border occur on the tongue. It's called geographic tongue because the patches have a map-like a
Oral thrush
Oral thrush (oral candiasis)is an infection caused by a type of fungus called Candida. It causes white patches (plaques) to develop in the mouth. You may experience a loss of taste or an unpleasant t
Aphthous mouth ulcers
Aphthous mouth ulcers are painful round or oval sores that can occur anywhere in the mouth and are common on the underside of the tongue. Mouth ulcers are sometimes caused by damage to the mouth, s
Less common causes
Less commonly, tongue pain may be caused by: a viral infection such asan infection that causes hand, foot and mouth disease or cold sores vitamin deficiencies and anaemia a sore tongue can some
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