Are these bumps normal?

[MaryMae]

Last week, I began having bumps appear inside my mouth. They almost look like tiny pimples, and they're around the corner of my gums and towards my top set of teeth. I also experienced a sore throat, but it seems like it's getting a little better. However, a couple of days ago I started feeling a tingling in my lips and corners of my mouth. I now have white, tiny, pimple-like bumps that are visible especially when I spread my lips with my fingers. I can't tell if my lips are just red and dry or if this is a sign of herpes, especially since I've had unprotected oral sex. I've never had a cold sore and none of my current bumps are definitely not cold sores yet. Do I need to be concerned, or are these probably just Fordyce spots? Also, does anyone know of any at-home treatments to help the bumps go away/the uncomfortableness of them?

Thanks, so sorry for the long post!

[Heather]

Ultimately, who you want to ask this kind of question of is an oral health professional or your general doctor. Ideally, just have one of those people take a look, since while we'd sit here guessing all over the place, one of those folks is likely going to be able to just look in your mouth and go, "Oh, that's x-definitive-thing," or, "I don't know so let's find out." We can't do that. We can't have any idea what these are or are from: this is what a healthcare provider is for.

Do you have access to one or both of those kinds of healthcare?