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A sore or white tongue is not usually serious and is often easily treated.
use a soft toothbrush to brush your teeth
brush your tongue or use a scraper to help improve a white tongue
use a straw to drink cool drinks
take paracetamol or ibuprofen
do not use a toothpaste that contains sodium lauryl sulphate
do not eat spicy, acidic or hot food and drink that may irritate your tongue
do not smoke
do not drink alcohol
You can ask a pharmacist:
Biting or burning your tongue with hot food or drink can cause pain and swelling. This should only last a few days.
A white tongue can be a sign of a health condition, such as anaemia, scarlet fever, lichen planus, leukoplakia, geographic tongue, mouth ulcers or oral thrush.
But do not self-diagnose. See a GP if you're worried.
Lichen planus can cause white patches on the tongue and inside the cheek.
Read about lichen planus.
Read about leukoplakia.
Blotchy, red patches on the tongue that have a white or light-coloured border may be geographic tongue.
Mouth ulcers are round, painful and swollen sores that look like blisters and can appear on the tongue, inside of the cheeks, or the lips.
Read about mouth ulcers.
An itchy, red mouth with white patches on the tongue could be oral thrush. It's more common in babies and older people with dentures.
Read about oral thrush (mouth thrush).
