White sores toddlers tongue?

[marshamallow321]

White sores on tongue and corner of mouth of my 2 year old son. He’s had a mild fever most of the day, sleepy, runny nose and I’ve just noticed these sores have come up. He’ll be seeing a doctor tomorrow but until then, has anyone seen anything like this before?

My 1 year old always gets these when she’s teething, don’t know why. All goes away once the worst of the teething is over.

Hand foot and mouth?

Another vote for possible hand foot and mouth.

It looks like primary herpes simplex lesions. It’s the same virus that causes cold sores and it is very common. It’s usually accompani d by a temperature and generally they feel unwell. The lesions are ulcers and can cover the inside of the mouth and lips. Your GP can confirm this.
They may prescribe anti virals which work well. At 2 they are too young for antiseptic mouth wash or topical anaesthetic gel.
They are going to be miserable for a few days.
You still metim s see chicken pox lesions in the mouth which are very similar but you would be aware of spots elsewhere, keep an eye open for them because they do appear rapidly.
Primary oral herp s can have some complications implications so keep an eye on them. If they become listless and floppy, sleeping all the time or are refusing food and fluids go to A&E.
DS had severe chicken pox at 2 and was admitted to hospital with suspected viral meningitis. He was put on antivirals ( IV). Within 12 hours he was jumping on the bed and back to normal, only hours after cause no panic when they couldn’t get his temperature down.
It is uncommon to have complications but it is something you need to be aware of. It was actually a question in my finals viva exams many years ago and it stuck in my brain. Although as a HCP when it came to my own DS I dismissed it until the GP saw him and immediately phoned through to pediatrics. Unfortunately you tend to ignore the obvious in your own children, not wanting to be accused of over reacting.

Looks like hand foot and mouth to me

Hand foot and mouth is very similar to primary herpes but if they have no blisters on the hands and feet it’s more likely to be herpes. Check the rest of his body. Also check for raised lymph nodes in the neck area which will be present in herpes.
Take extra care with other children in the house since both are infections. Separate towels etc.

Thank you everyone. His tongue looks a lot worse today and still no spots on hands and feet. We’ve just got back from the doctors who are leaning more toward the herpes virus. I have 4 other children in the house with the youngest being 9 months old and feeling very anxious 😥 I’ve seen a lot of nasty things about this type of virus 🥺

70% of adults in the UK carry HSV1 in their mouths, it is SUPER common. Most people only occasionally get cold sores as adults.

No one should kiss the baby on the face (top of head is fine) for at least a couple of weeks until your know no one else has caught it. Try to stop your son touching anyone else's face if at all possible.