Question:

I have a tiny bumps on the inside of my mouth, just inside the lip on the inner cheek, it looks like a pimple, it`s very small, a pin head size. It doesnt hurt, but I can feel it with my tongue. I was wondering what it is.

Answer:

This sounds as if you have just discovered your minor salivary glands. These are small soft lumps, about the size of a pea, just underneath the lining of the mouth. They are especially noticeable in the upper and lower lips. They are completely normal, and each gland (which produces thick mucus-type saliva) has a duct (tube) that goes from the gland to the surface of the mouth. The pin-head sized bump is where the duct comes into the mouth.

If the little bumps are more inside the cheek (rather than the lips) and they have a yellow-white color, then they are probably Fordyce granules. These are also normal and represent small sebaceous (oil) glands that are present in the lining of the mouth. In 8 out of 10 adults, these little oil glands can be seen rather easily.

Related Resources:

Things That Go Bump in the Mouth

For more information:

Go to the Mouth Diseases health topic.