I woke up the other morning with a lie bump. I don't know if it's a Southern thing to call this little painful bump on your tongue a "lie bump", but that's what we've always called them. Received, of course, because I must have told a lie.
It has been compared to a pimple, but it hurts a LOT more than a facial blemish.
And it seems to grow each day until you realize it has finally disappeared. And it's on your tongue, so you KNOW you keep rubbing, fiddling with it, and otherwise irritating it in your mouth. Rubbing it against the side of your mouth, between your teeth, and scraping it along the edges of your teeth. It drives me nuts! And it hurts!
Of course, no one knows what causes these. Could be any of these:
Underlying infection, either viral or bacterial (this is commonly associated with eruptive lingual papillitis)
Low-grade chronic irritation or trauma from sharp-edged/fractured teeth or wearing an orthodontic appliance
Stress
Sleep deprivation
Poor nutrition
Heat injury to the tongue
Eating spicy or acidic foods (for example, foods containing cinnamon or capsaicin)
Excessive smoking or alcohol intake
Using certain oral hygiene products
Hormone fluctuation (for example, during menstruation or menopause)
It may also be associated with atopic disease (e.g., eczema).
So, basically ANYTHING can cause the little bastards to pop up. Such a long list of possible causes just underlines that no one knows. I saw online that they were originally called "lye" bumps because of people using lye soap, which is hella potent. Potent enough to have a section on Wikipedia titled "Tissue Digestion". Ummm. No thank you.
It's finally going away, though. But it still hurts like crazy. And I know I didn't tell a lie because I usually don't care what anyone thinks about the truth.
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