Dental and Oral Health Center

Question about swollen taste buds

06/01/2007

Question:

Hi. I`ve been trying to research this on the internet and haven`t found any straight froward answers. I get these tiny little swollen taste buds. It seems like at least once a month and I haven`t been able to pin point what causes them. They`re very painful and last at least a couple of days.
It seems I`ve had this for years. I thought I had actually caught it from a former friend years ago who told me she got these, and I had shared a drink with her. I think that`s how I caught, which is why I`m wondering if it`s contagious. Are they contagious? I would feel terrible if I kissed someone and they caught it from me. What is it? Is it a type of herpes virus? Will it ever go away?

My ex-boyfriend never mentioned having caught this from me, but now that our relationship has ended I wanted to find out what I really have, so that if I`m lucky enough to find another relationship, that I`ll know whether or not this is contagious. Is there anything I can do to stop them or prevent them? Your assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Answer:

From your description, it is very difficult to determine what your problem is or the cause of it. If in fact, you have "swollen taste buds", they can result from:

stress

a reaction to too much acidic foods such as orange juice or tomatoes

an allergic reaction to a tooth paste or some other substance placed in the mouth, including a food or additive to a food

some type of an infection

dry mouth (though this is usually a burning sensation in the tongue)

and other physical conditions or side effects of medications.

The only way to get an accurate diagnosis is to visit your dentist or an oral pathologist especially at the onset of one of these episodes.

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Response by:

D. Stanley Sharples, DDS
Assistant Professor, Clinical
Section of Primary Care
College of Dentistry
The Ohio State University