What Are the Bumps on Your Tongue?

When you take the time to look, you find that the human mouth features all sorts of colorful sights. Little bumps may appear on the tongue for a variety of reasons. In most cases, there is no need to worry; however, some bumps are a sign for you to seek medical attention.

Papillae

• Most of the red bumps you see on your tongue are papillae. They appear as small, red nodules that cover the entire surface of the tongue. Many of them contain taste buds.

Function

• Taste buds are receptor organs that detect tastes and relay the information back to the brain. Without taste buds, you would be unable to tell the difference between food that is sour, bitter, salty or sweet.

Considerations

• Pay proper attention to abnormally large or painful bumps on the tongue. Taste buds can swell if exposed to foods that are too hot or too sour. Diseases like oral herpes also appear as abnormal or irritating bumps on the tongue.