Tongue and Cheek Swelling

[Patsy1]

In the last year I have had a few occasions where I have had the inside of my cheek and the side of my tongue swell up.  It is always the same side of my mouth.  I was trying to pay attention and it seems to happen when using plastic straws, or that is when I seem to really notice it.  Is this some kind of allergic reaction?  It goes away pretty much by the next day, but takes a couple of days to completely go away.  The inside of my cheek has a smooth feel to it, the last time I remembered to look at my tongue and it seemed to have white on it, a friend said it looked like I had burned my tongue.  It is an odd thing and just wondered if anyone knows what this might be.

[Patsy1]

Thank you for the suggestion, but where I live you can't just walk in and see a dentist let alone an oral surgeon.  It is usually pretty much gone the next day.  I will make an attempt though so that I can figure out what is going on.  For starters I am going to avoid using straws and see if it happens again.

[Jerome Bogin, D.D.S.]

It might be an allergic reaction and I would suggest you see an oral surgeon the next time it happens.