Lumps on tongue

[Shanker30]

Hey guys how's it going, I'm a somewhat new snus user who has smoked for about 6 months and quit using smokeless tobacco, mainly copenhagen. About a month ago I purchased my first order of snus from the northerner after reading Dr.Rodu's book 'how smokeless tobacco can save your life'. I had used copenhagen for about 2 years on and off and tried to quit 3 times obviously unsuccessfully. But now that I use snus I am much happier and less worried about cancer risks from the information seen on this site.

Long story short I have accidentally bitten my tongue a few times in weeks prior and today I found a small red bump near my wisdom teeth on the side of my tongue. I have also used the American dip a few times last week because I was out of snus but now I have stopped again. I'm 19 and curious what this could be, it only showed up today or yesterday maybe, I consider myself having decent to excellent oral hygiene brushing twice a day and having a very healthy diet as I am training to be a Powerlifter hopefully one day reaching elite totals. So I eat a decent amount of fairly healthy foods along with supplementing green tea and vitamin C in pill form.

I would like to see some hard fact evidence that snus does not cause sores like this so I can rule out (mentally at least) the threat of cancer and problems

I have had some bumps like this before on my inner lips and even a white sore on my tongue that have gone away within a week, but since I am new to snus I am slightly worried.

This bump is also no where near where I put my portions or loose (upper deck)

[squeezyjohn]

Firstly - I am not a doctor - and if you are truly worried about any aspect of your own health the best thing is to go and see a qualified physician who can probably tell you what's going on.

But ... My guess as to what has happened is that you have a sore tongue due to accidental biting - normally that goes away within a few days and the soreness has remained. The reason it has remained could be a) because it is a particularly bad bite and it's taking longer to heal b) you have a compromised immune system or a cold developing which can often lead to slower healing in the mouth, or c) the salt present in the snus is something your mouth is unused to and the juices are going and irritating the site of the bite leading to slower healing.

I have definitely had to cut back on snus usage when I have had a sore tongue and a cold in the past. A lot is to do with proper portion/prilla placement which should be so "up there" in your top lip that zero to minimal juices are passed to the rest of the mouth. When I was new at snusing - I found it impossible to relax my lip enough to allow that to occur. When you have a cold you salivate more - making it harder still to keep the juicing to a minimum.

So I don't think you need to worry ... but please don't take my word for it ... if you are really worried - get it checked out.

Cheers

Squeezy

[Snusdog]

Have you had any change of diet lately.....for example if I drink too many diet drinks the back of my tongue will get irritated.

That said, I agree with Squeezy.........if you are really worried you need a Dr to check it out....not one of us


one other thing I was not real clear on....did you bite your tongue b/c it had the sore....or do you have the sore because you bit your tongue

[Shanker30]

I believe I bit it and then the sore came. I just put in a lip of thunder berry and that calmed me down a bit, and I am also recovering from allergies/cold symptoms that are seasonal etc. too much pollen and dust around me haha. I'm worried about it but I believe it will go away in a few days. It may also be from the chemical differences between dip and snus, that might not be helping it either recently switching back and fourth. I am a believer that snus is the healthiest form of 'nicotine delivery' so I shouldn't be extremely worried

[GregH]

I agree that you probably bit it and are still feeling the effects. But I also agree that the best course of action would be to see a dentist or MD to rule out anything serious. That being said, there is another potential culprit that could be exacerbating the previous injury: sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), which is an ingredient in almost every toothpaste and a lot of mouthwashes.

I had an allergic reaction to raw walnuts about a year ago that caused my tongue to swell and become very sore and cracked. And that experience led to a series of flare ups, where my tongue would get very sore and become cracked. (This was after about 3 years of using snus.) I went to the dentist to have it checked out, and all was fine as far as she could tell. So I started tracking the flare ups and eliminating things that seemed to precipitate them: hot peppers, citrus, cinnamon, etc. It was through this process of elimination -- and an Internet search -- that I finally figured out SLS was the culprit. I switched to an SLS-free toothpaste and use all natural mouthwashes now. Knock wood, I haven't had a flare up since.

[nicotine]

In the past, I've gotten small white bumps (canker sores, I'm guessing) on my tongue and cheeks that lasted about 2-3 days while using snus heavily, but I also wasn't keeping up with oral hygiene at the time. I've changed it up a lot since then (brushing twice daily gently to minimize gum irritation/recession, flossing, antiseptic mouthwash), and I never get them any longer. I think the general rule is that if it persists for over a week, then see a doctor.

[Shanker30]

Woke up this morning and it is still there, I'm going to stop using snus until it goes away and if it is a week than I will see a dentist. It is slightly less sore so far today.

[Shanker30]

I got a chance to look at it a little more closely. Obviously I'm not a doctor so I have no real medical knowledge besides what I have researched and my own symptoms. It does not look did colored, there seem to be no signs of leukoplakia or any white near it. It is certainly not an ulcer. It really looks like I've been chomping on it a bit. Reading up some things on sores I have been stressed alot lately, and I eat alot of spicy foods So that may be a cause and/or what's making it stick around. Gonna try to swish around some salt water also

[Shanker30]

Just an update - lump is still there, been 3 days and I have been snusing less, and used a product called 'stonewall snus' yesterday at work which almost looks like a pill. It's ground up dissolvable tobacco to see if it would work. Have been snusing less ( keeping them in for very short time, normally 30-45 mins with thunder mint extra stark, now 15 mins max maybe. Currently going to try some thunder original extra stark to see if it is the favors that are adding to the irritation. If its there next Wednesday I'm gonna see the dentist just to get cleared. I can feel my teeth at some times rubbing into it so that could be causing it to heal slower. Reading a lot of the studies over and over I am doubting it is anything too serious, I just probably keep chomping on it accidentally. The irritation seems to go away when I snus so that is strange

[Shanker30]

Here is a circled and uncorcled pic

[Bigblue1]

Hey man, Your what 19 yrs old. Used smokeless for a few years at the most. Your gonna kill yourself from worry befoe tobacco ever could. I'm 37 and have been smoking,chewing, dipping, drinking for nearly as long as you've been alive. Take it easy snus is nearly harmless. Quit thinking about the stupid propaganda they fed you in Health class. Or Just quit. If it's driving you crazy maybe you should just get some Nicorette.......

[jagmanss]

Hey man, Your what 19 yrs old. Used smokeless for a few years at the most. Your gonna kill yourself from worry befoe tobacco ever could. I'm 37 and have been smoking,chewing, dipping, drinking for nearly as long as you've been alive. Take it easy snus is nearly harmless. Quit thinking about the stupid propaganda they fed you in Health class. Or Just quit. If it's driving you crazy maybe you should just get some Nicorette.......

+1 I Agree and spot on.....

Damn Blue! I had you pegged as a crotchety old man from the way you post Yeah! I know I am at 56, But damn you are still a youngin'....

Damn! I wish I knew what I know now at the age of 19.... I woulda never started..... 40 years of tobacco.... WTF was I thinking at 13- 19 years old and didn't act then....

Shanker30.... Get out of it while you can..... Trust me... If you don't you will look back 20-30 years from know and wish you did like me.... Trust what i'm sayin'..... If not Remember this post in 30 years... You will see.

[SnusoMatic]

Here is a circled and uncorcled pic

i have seizures and have chewed my tongue many times. what i can see in that picture looks like a slight bite to me. even small ones can be painful too. i have chewed mine up so bad that i had to spray numbing stuff on my tongue just to get through the day. a small bite can hurt really bad. like the others said we cant be sure what it is but thats what it looks like to me. the salt in snus might make it sting worse too.

[Thunder_Snus]

I'm not sure of the technical term but what you have circled in your picture is part of your tongue. The side of almost everyone's tongue is a little rugged. I had to have surgery on mine (birth defect not anything cancer related) i kept chewing afterward and get really worried about all this stuff i saw on the side of my tongue and asked my dentist. It's normal. If it hurts give it a few days. If it persistently hurts go get it checked out. It looks fairly normal to me. No odd discoloration or anything. That being said I am not a doctor and nothing i say should be considered professional advice.

[Shanker30]

thanks for the help, i figured once i put up a picture it would help. I'm gonna stop freaking out, thanks for your input!