What causes someone to have a swollen taste bud?
erikinz1992 Feb 14th, 2010 What you are describing sounds like transient lingual papillitis (TLP), better known as “lie bumps” on the tongue. TLP is a harmless, but annoying, problem. This condition is limited to the upper (dorsal) surface of the tongue, affecting some of the tiny bumps on the tongue known as the fungiform papillae. Fungiform papillae are the normal little bumps on the top of the tongue that people call “taste buds.” These bumps can become notably red or white and are quite tender for one to several days. While the cause of TLP is not known with certainty, most experts feel that local accidental trauma (rubbing, scraping or biting) is a major factor; however, contact reactions to things like certain foods have also been suggested. In the southern United States, these have sometimes been referred to as “lie bumps” – supposedly the person who gets one of these has recently told a lie, and this is their punishment! Most people, when their tongue is irritated, can’t seem t
