Why do I get sores on my tongue?

The tongue lives a rough life - it meets every meal first, gets bitten mid-conversation, and rubs against every sharp tooth edge - so most of its sores are local and temporary. The NHS lists the common causes of a sore tongue, starting with the obvious: biting it or burning it on hot food, which should settle within a few days. Mouth ulcers are the next most common - small, round, white-grey craters with a red border, often on the sides and tip where the tongue meets the teeth, tender enough to make citrus feel like a punishment. Recurring ulcers track with stress, minor injuries, and certain foods; deficiencies of iron, B12, or folate sit behind some stubborn cases. Other items on the NHS's cause list - oral thrush, geographic tongue, and lichen planus - produce white patches or raw patches rather than classic ulcers. Home care is simple: salt-water rinses, soft bland food while it heals, a pharmacy ulcer gel or spray for the worst hours, and fixing the repeat offenders - a chipped tooth or sharp filling edge that keeps abrading the same spot is a dentist job. The timeline is the diagnostic: the NHS advises seeing a GP or dentist for tongue pain that does not go away or gets worse, and for white patches. Give a straightforward sore 2 weeks; any ulcer, lump, or patch still there at 3 weeks needs examining, because a non-healing tongue ulcer is on the list of things doctors are trained to check rather than watch. Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text, that can help you decide if yours is routine.