# Single taste bud suicide (The horrid pain!) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 13, 2004, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-taste-bud-suicide-the-horrid-pain/259706 "2004-08-13T16:55:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frumpy\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Frumpy\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frumpy_Jones)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-taste-bud-suicide-the-horrid-pain/259706/1 "2004-08-13T16:55:26Z")
Alright. Searched the archives and the boards, and have found nothing on this… It all starts well-enough… you’re out, doing that thing you do, when suddenly you notice… well not ‘notice’… maybe sense? Yes. Better. You _sense_ a small bump on your tongue. It’s slightly painful, and you rub it over your teeth and sure enough you feel _something_. You get yourself to the nearest mirror and check out your tongue, and notice that one single bud has decided to go supernova on you. It’s all **out there** and **white** as if you just got a pimple. Oh, and it _ **hurts** _! You know, that small, but constant, hurt that just annoys you all day… makes you grit your teeth unknowingly, thereby causing you a massive headache that you would **never** have had, were it not for this little bud’s blaze of glory? Yeah. That pain. So a day goes by and the final explosion occurs, and now you have this little scorch-mark-like-thing on your tongue, as if your body sent a small demolition crew to the site and they took it out with some TNT, and it _ **still hurts** _. My question (Finally): Why? Why does one taste bud decide to take that bridge and end its little taste-budding life, and why does (s)he have to cause me pain while doing so? ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-taste-bud-suicide-the-horrid-pain/259706/2 "2004-08-13T18:41:17Z")
I don’t have an answer to your question, but I can tell you confidently that this happens to me all the time, and those little buggers hurt like HELL. ---
**Author:** ![beltbuckle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@beltbuckle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beltbuckle)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-taste-bud-suicide-the-horrid-pain/259706/3 "2004-08-13T18:45:43Z")
This happens very occasionally to me as well, maybe a couple of times per year. My solution is to bite the afflicted taste bud and basically crush it with my front teeth. This is painful briefly, but I find that it hurts less afterward. I would rather have a few seconds of sharp pain than a few days of a dull pain. ---
**Author:** ![lexi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lexi/32/6806_2.png) [@lexi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lexi)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-taste-bud-suicide-the-horrid-pain/259706/4 "2004-08-13T18:49:21Z")
I get those, and I usually pinch the offending taste bud off. Although pinching it off with my nails is very painful briefly - once it is gone, so is the pain. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-taste-bud-suicide-the-horrid-pain/259706/5 "2004-08-13T18:52:54Z")
Uh can’t a white bump like that on your tongue be the sign of a cancerous or pre-cancerous growth? ☹ ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-taste-bud-suicide-the-horrid-pain/259706/6 "2004-08-13T19:14:55Z")
I get one of these every couple months. A few questions: How many taste buds do we start out with, before they start self-destrucing? What causes them to do this (irritation, spicy food, etc.)? Does a new taste bud grow in its place, or do we simply wind up with fewer and fewer of them? And is this the reason why so many elderly people have a lost or diminished sense of taste? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-taste-bud-suicide-the-horrid-pain/259706/7 "2004-08-13T19:37:56Z")
> [@pool](#): > > Uh can’t a white bump like that on your tongue be the sign of a cancerous or pre-cancerous growth? ☹ That’s possible. It’s called leukoplakia. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-taste-bud-suicide-the-horrid-pain/259706/8 "2004-08-13T19:51:25Z")
I get something very similar, except that they’re not really visible. No white bumps, just a really sore tiny bump. And here I thought I was the only one! ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-taste-bud-suicide-the-horrid-pain/259706/9 "2004-08-13T19:52:50Z")
I never could manage to bite the little suckers off, so I finally grabbed a pair of tweezers and yanked the last few off. Hurts, yes, but it heals almost immediately, instead of hanging around, swollen and mean, for days on end. I seem to get them when I’m really eating too much sugar. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-taste-bud-suicide-the-horrid-pain/259706/10 "2004-08-13T22:15:26Z")
I’m no expert, but I assume that the swelling is because of infection. When I get these… thingies (can someone give a proper name for them?), I gargle with hydrogen peroxide. It’s painless and gets rid of the swelling almost immediately. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-taste-bud-suicide-the-horrid-pain/259706/11 "2004-08-13T22:31:26Z")
Another vote for hydrogen peroxide. I dab a little on the inflamed bump before I go to bed, and it’s typically gone by morning. I’ve tried removing the bumps with tweezers, but that hurts too much and seems to make them worse. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-taste-bud-suicide-the-horrid-pain/259706/12 "2004-08-13T23:41:19Z")
I also get them, and I usually sever 'em with small scissors. ---
**Author:** ![mike1dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@mike1dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mike1dog)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-taste-bud-suicide-the-horrid-pain/259706/13 "2004-08-13T23:42:40Z")
I get these whenever I eat peanuts. Maybe it is a slight allergic reaction. ---
**Author:** ![Marsie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Marsie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marsie)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-taste-bud-suicide-the-horrid-pain/259706/14 "2004-08-13T23:47:24Z")
My great-grandmother used to call them “lie bumps.” Supposedly you got them from telling lies… ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-taste-bud-suicide-the-horrid-pain/259706/15 "2004-08-13T23:58:33Z")
I sever 'em with nail clippers (sterilized in alcohol would be best). The pain is almost gratifying bycause it overrides the pain from the offending bud and seems like a more normal kind of pain. Somehow this seems preferable and it lasts only a second. Plus once the bud is gone, there’s no more pain and no more bother. It’s miraculous, given that you’ve actually just inflicted a small wound upon yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-taste-bud-suicide-the-horrid-pain/259706/16 "2004-08-14T00:13:14Z")
I wonder, would the bud heal if not severed, and by removing them are we unnecessarily degrading our sense of taste by a tiny bit at a time? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-taste-bud-suicide-the-horrid-pain/259706/17 "2004-08-14T00:40:12Z")
> [@mike1dog](#): > > I get these whenever I eat peanuts. Maybe it is a slight allergic reaction. Well, we have two issues here. What our OP seems to be getting is a canker sore (not cold sore, not cancer, not cancre). It is a minor infection, often set off by an imbalance in your body- like a cold or flu. They are a small ulcer. Eating high acid foods or using toothpaste with Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) often is the cause- biting your cheek may also set them off. This next is a commercial site, note. They only have one thing wrong- there are several brands that don’t have SLS- including Biotene, which I like to use. [http://www.therabreath.com/art\_cankersores.asp](http://www.therabreath.com/art_cankersores.asp) They can sometimes be cured by Acidolpholus and Vitamin C. Here is a non-commerical site: [http://www.drbunn.com/sore.htm](http://www.drbunn.com/sore.htm) Here is Biotene’s site: > **[Biotène® #1 Dentist Recommended Dry Mouth Brand | Biotène®](https://www.biotene.com/?redirectfrom=www.biotene.net)** > > Learn more about Dry Mouth (Xerostomia) and Biotene dry mouth symptom relief products, oral rinse (mouthwash), gel and spray. In Mike’s case- they may be cold or herpes sores- as peanuts contain an Amino acid which can set off dormant cases of herpes. L-lysine will help. I’d guess that some Acidolpholus and Vitamin C wouldn’t hurt either. Check out site #2. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-taste-bud-suicide-the-horrid-pain/259706/18 "2004-08-14T01:00:49Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > I wonder, would the bud heal if not severed, and by removing them are we unnecessarily degrading our sense of taste by a tiny bit at a time? I probably don’t have to off but one every couple of years so it’s not a big deal for me there. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-taste-bud-suicide-the-horrid-pain/259706/19 "2004-08-14T01:22:19Z")
> [@mike1dog](#): > > I get these whenever I eat peanuts. Maybe it is a slight allergic reaction. I find I get these if I’ve gotten something stuck behind my retainer and pick and it with the tip of my tongue for extended periods before it comes out. The next day, a tastebud will inflame. I bet you get them from digging the peanut bits out of your teeth. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-taste-bud-suicide-the-horrid-pain/259706/20 "2004-08-14T02:20:20Z")
I had one of those bumps about six or seven months ago. It hurt a little, but the fact that it had changed the texture of my normally smooth tongue was more annoying than anything else. My solution? Staring at it in the mirror. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-taste-bud-suicide-the-horrid-pain/259706.md?page=2)