Thank you for your question. There can be many reasons for white spots at the side of your tongue. If you’ve seen a GP and was asked to see a dentist, he or she may be concerned that the spots may be due to your teeth rubbing against the side of your tongue.
The medical term for white lesions on the tongue or anywhere in the mouth that cannot be removed is called leukoplakia. Leukoplakia can be benign (non cancerous), pre-cancerous or cancerous.These spots should be checked by a doctor with surgical training as a biopsy (removal of a small piece of tissue for testing) may be required, especially if it has been there for a while or has been increasing in size.
Most commonly, an ENT Specialist, a General Surgeon with Head & Neck Subspecialty training or an Oral/Oral maxillofacial dental surgeon are qualified to assess such spots for you.
Hope this helps.
