question: 20 year old male with white coated tongue and reoccurring red spots. I have had this since the end of January and I can t seem to figure what it is from. My doctor said it wasn t thrush and that it was normal, however it just seems out of the normal. I am just concerned of HIV . I was tested negative April 22nd. I haven t had any unprotected sex. What could this mean? My tongue is extremely white and I can scratch the stuff off. The red spots look like burns but I haven t burnt my tongue at all. It always occurs in the same two places. On the right side and the left side of the tongue. The white coating is way more prominent towards the back of my tongue. Any idea what this could be?