What's This Spot in My Mouth?
Found a sore, bump, patch or color change in your mouth and want to know what it might be? Tell this mouth spot checker where it is, what it looks like and how long it's been there. It matches your answers against more than 40 common mouth conditions, tells you how soon to have it looked at, and links you to a full guide for each one.
Most spots in the mouth are harmless and heal or fade within 2 weeks: canker sores, cold sores, bite injuries, lie bumps, thrush, or normal anatomy like tori and Fordyce spots. What matters most is how long it lasts. Any sore, patch or lump that hasn't healed in 2 to 3 weeks, or that is growing, bleeding or numb, should be examined by a dentist.
Where is it?
Tap the map or a label. Pick more than one if it's in several places.Tap where the spot is
What does it look like?
Pick everything that fits.How does it feel?
How long has it been there?
Anything else going on?
Optional, but it sharpens the matches.How the mouth spot checker works
The checker asks the same questions we ask in the chair: where the spot is, what it looks like, how it feels, how long it's been there, and what else is going on. Each answer adds weight to the conditions that fit and takes it away from the ones that don't. The location and the look count the most. A detail like "a tooth was pulled last week" or "it's only on one side" can move one condition straight to the top.
Separately, the checker looks for warning signs, such as a spot that has lasted more than 2 weeks, facial swelling, numbness, or trouble swallowing. Those decide the "what to do" advice at the top of your results, whatever the matches are, and the advice also follows any close match that deserves an exam. Your answers themselves aren't sent to us. To improve the checker, we use Google Analytics to record which condition came up first, the advice level, and which guides get opened. No names, photos or contact details are collected.
Tips for better matches
- Use a bright light and a mirror, and check the other side of your mouth to compare. Many "spots" turn out to be symmetrical normal anatomy.
- Gently wipe a white area with clean gauze. Whether it wipes off is one of the most useful clues there is.
- Take a photo today. It's the easiest way to tell whether a spot is shrinking, growing or staying the same. Use "Track this spot" in the checker to count the days.
Quick guide: common mouth spots by location
If you'd rather scan than answer questions, here's what usually turns up in each part of the mouth, and when it's worth getting checked.
| Where | Usually harmless | Have it checked if |
|---|---|---|
| Lips | Cold sores, Fordyce spots, a mucocele inside the lower lip | A crusty or scaly spot on the lower lip that won't heal |
| Corners of the mouth | Angular cheilitis | It keeps coming back, or you wear dentures |
| Inner cheeks | Canker sores, cheek biting, a white line where the teeth meet (linea alba) | Lacy white lines (lichen planus) or a white patch that won't wipe off |
| Gums | Gingivitis, a sore from a sharp food | A pimple on the gum, a red bump that bleeds, a new dark spot, or peeling gums |
| Roof of the mouth | A bony torus, a pizza burn | A sore or lump that doesn't heal, sores with body-wide symptoms (lupus), or blisters on one side only (shingles) |
| Top of the tongue | Geographic tongue, fissured tongue, white coating, black hairy tongue, lie bumps | It's smooth, red and sore, or burns with nothing to see (burning mouth) |
| Sides of the tongue | Scalloping, canker sores, a bite | Any sore, white or red patch, or lump that lasts more than 2 weeks. This is the most important place to check. See signs of oral cancer. |
| Back of the tongue | The normal V-shaped row of bumps | A firm lump on one side, ear pain, or trouble swallowing |
| Under the tongue | Visible veins, a mucocele, a torus inside the lower jaw | A red or white patch, or swelling at mealtimes |
| Tonsils and throat | Tonsil stones, a sore throat with a cold | One tonsil much bigger than the other, or sores with fever in a child (hand, foot and mouth) |
| Behind the last tooth | Mild soreness while a tooth comes in | A swollen gum flap, or pain getting worse days after an extraction (dry socket) |
When a mouth spot needs attention
Book an exam if:
- A sore, patch or lump hasn't healed in 2 to 3 weeks
- A white or red patch won't wipe off
- A lump feels firm or seems stuck to the tissue underneath
- A dark spot is new, growing or changing
- A spot keeps coming back in exactly the same place
Get care today if:
- You have swelling in your face or jaw, especially with a fever
- You have painful blisters on one side of your mouth or face only
- Pain is getting worse a few days after a tooth was pulled
- A spot is bleeding and won't stop, or an area has gone numb
Trouble breathing or swallowing is an emergency. Call 911.
It also helps to know that most mouth sores aren't serious. If a spot is gone in a week, it was almost always one of the everyday causes. You can browse every guide on our oral conditions page, or read more about how dentists check for problems at your regular exam and during an oral cancer screening.
Mouth spot checker FAQ
What is this white spot in my mouth?
The most common causes are a canker sore (white-yellow center with a red rim), oral thrush (white coating that wipes off), a white coated tongue, cheek biting, or Fordyce spots (tiny yellow-white dots). A white patch that won't wipe off and lasts more than 2 weeks should be examined. Leukoplakia is one possibility, but friction from teeth, lichen planus and other causes look similar, and only an exam (sometimes a biopsy) can tell them apart. The spot checker can help narrow it down.
What does a cancerous spot in the mouth look like?
Early oral cancer usually looks ordinary: a sore that doesn't heal, a flat white or red patch, or a firm, thickened area, often painless. You can't tell by looking, and neither can a dentist without a biopsy. Any spot that lasts more than 2 to 3 weeks should be examined, even though most turn out to be harmless.
Can I diagnose a mouth sore online?
No. An online checker can tell you which common conditions match what you describe and how soon to get it looked at, but it can't examine the tissue, feel how firm it is, or test it. Use it to understand your options and decide when to call, not as a diagnosis.
How long should a mouth sore last before I worry?
Most mouth sores heal within 1 to 2 weeks. If a sore, patch or lump is still there after 2 to 3 weeks, have a dentist or doctor look at it. See someone sooner if it's growing, bleeding, numb, or comes with facial swelling or fever.
Why do I have a bump on the roof of my mouth?
A hard, smooth bump in the middle of the roof of the mouth is usually a torus, which is normal bone. A small bump just behind the front teeth is normal tissue called the incisive papilla. A painful bump after hot food is usually a burn. A soft bump that grows, or a sore that doesn't heal, should be examined.
What are the bumps on my tongue?
Small red bumps that pop up for a day or two are usually lie bumps (inflamed taste buds). The large V-shaped row at the very back is normal anatomy. Map-like patches are geographic tongue. A single firm lump on the side of the tongue that lasts more than 2 weeks should be checked.
Is a black or dark spot in my mouth dangerous?
Most dark spots are harmless, such as an amalgam tattoo near an old silver filling, a flat freckle-like melanotic macule, or a blood blister. Because oral melanoma is rare but serious, a dark spot that is new, growing, raised or multicolored should be examined, especially on the roof of the mouth or gums.
Is the spot checker private?
Your answers aren't sent to us, and the checker never asks for your name, contact details or photos. We do use Google Analytics, and the checker reports which condition came up first, the advice level, the guide you came from and which guides you open, so we can see how it's used and improve it. If you choose "Track this spot," the start date and your answers are saved only in your own browser. To share your answers with us, use "Copy summary" and bring it to your visit or read it to us on the phone. Please don't send health details by text.
What should I do after using the checker?
Follow the "what to do" advice at the top of your results. If it says to watch it, take a photo and check again in a week. If it says to have it examined promptly, book a visit within the next few days and bring your summary. Don't start a new two-week wait for something that has already lasted two weeks. In the Jacksonville area you can call us at 904-398-1549 to set up a visit and read us your summary. If anything in your results said to get care today, don't wait for an appointment slot: call today.
Still not sure what it is?
If you're in the Jacksonville area and a spot in your mouth is bothering you or hasn't gone away, we're glad to take a look. Most of the time it's something simple. When it isn't, we'll help you get the next step quickly.
Related guides
This tool and page are for general education and aren't a diagnosis. The checker can miss things and can't replace an exam. If you have a spot you're worried about, see your dentist or physician.