Folded tongue: causes and treatment of the disease

What it is

Officially, painful cracks on the tongue and along the edge of the tongue are called glossalgia. This is a fairly common neurosomatic disease.

Most common symptoms:

• dryness in the tongue area;
• itching and burning;
• swelling;
• soreness.

The insidiousness of glossalgia is that it does not go away on its own; without appropriate treatment it is impossible to get rid of a crack in the tongue.

At an early stage of the disease, the doctor may not notice pronounced cracks in the tongue, since they are microscopic and mainly manifest themselves as burning and pain. If you do not respond to this symptom in a timely manner, over time a crack may form at the tip or in the middle of the tongue, longitudinally, as well as cracks under the tongue and on the sides. In this case, the doctor also notes swelling and swelling of the tongue, atrophy of the salivary glands and filiform papillae on the surface of the tongue. The sooner you start treatment, the easier it is to get rid of glossalgia, so if you have cracks in your tongue, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Use of traditional medicine

At home, you can use well-known methods to help heal wounds in the mouth, eliminate pain, relieve swelling and other symptoms. However, before treating cracked tongue with folk remedies, you need to ensure their compatibility with the prescribed medications.

The most effective are the following recipes:

• 
  Herbal infusion of chamomile, celandine, sage and calendula. For adults, you can add St. John's wort. Take after meals in the form of baths or lotions. Promotes wound healing and relieves swelling.

• Compresses from fermented milk products. Soften scars and scabs. The procedure should be done in the morning for 15 minutes.
• Sea buckthorn or olive oil. In the morning you need to drop a few drops on the mucous membrane and in the middle of the tongue, then do not drink or eat for 15 minutes. Softens dry formations on the tongue and mucous membranes.
• Honey. Has wound-healing and antimicrobial effects. A piece of the product can be placed in the middle of the tongue and dissolved. Gives a good effect if cracks bleed.
• Propolis tincture (for adults only). The strongest disinfectant: has antimicrobial, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects. Since alcohol tincture cannot be used in its pure form if there are open wounds, you need to dilute 1 teaspoon in 100 grams of warm tea. Drink after meals.

Congenital fissures

It happens that a patient has cracks in the tongue since birth or childhood, which practically do not cause him any concern. Such cracks are usually transverse and are caused by the development and formation of the tongue.

Some patients have a so-called folded tongue, a congenital feature of tongue development. It is usually considered normal and does not require any treatment. The exception is red cracks in the tongue, which form at the bottom of the folds and cause pain to the patient. This happens with insufficient oral hygiene, so those with a folded tongue must carefully clean not only their teeth and gums, but also their tongue from plaque. If the owner of a folded tongue has developed cracks, treatment should be prescribed by a competent doctor, taking into account the design features of the patient’s tongue. To prevent the formation of folds in the depths, more attention should be paid to the sanitation of the oral cavity.

Folded tongue: photos and symptoms

Usually the anomaly is detected in early childhood, but it also occurs in adults, since sometimes this problem does not bother the patient in any way, and the person is not even aware of its presence. The signs of the disease are as follows:

• Macroglossia, or enlargement of the tongue, which can affect a person's speech and chewing function. Usually the patient keeps his teeth in an open position.
• Folds and grooves appear on the surface, which are covered with papillae.
• The tongue is significantly thickened.
• The back and tip of the tongue are smoothed, the filiform papillae have atrophied.
• Increased sensitivity (especially in people who have undergone infectious diseases and surgical operations).
• Regular tingling and pinching sensation.
• Lymph nodes are enlarged.
• Smell from the mouth.

The folds, in turn, are different: transverse, deep longitudinal (and not very deep), fringed. Usually the main longitudinal fold (it is the largest and deepest) runs from the tip along its midline. The remaining folds lead exactly to it.

Sometimes this pathology accompanies desquamative glossitis (geographic tongue) - this is inflammation, as a result of which some areas of the organ become several shades lighter or acquire a gray tint. In general, the picture of the organ resembles a map, which is why it got its name.

How do they look

Small cracks in the tongue can be completely invisible to the naked eye; only an experienced doctor can examine them using special instruments. The larger ones are clearly visible to the naked eye; they resemble longitudinal or transverse grooves on the tongue. Deep cracks look like crevices; sometimes the tongue appears to be cracked or split into two parts. If you notice such a problem, consult a doctor, even if nothing is bothering you at the moment. If an infection gets into the crack, the course of the disease may be complicated by the inflammatory process.

Main symptoms

Sometimes the presence of cracks and grooves in the tongue is not accompanied by unnatural or painful sensations and can only be detected during examination by a dentist, ENT specialist or therapist. But this doesn't always happen. Patients often complain of the following related problems:

• pain;
• burning sensation;
• feeling that the tongue is loose;
• there is blood and ichor;
• elevated temperature;
• swelling and itching appeared;
• it becomes painful to chew;
• there is a problem with speech;
• increased salivation appeared;
• change in natural color;
• taste disturbance;
• the appearance of an unpleasant odor.

If cracks appear on the tongue, and the phenomenon is accompanied by one of the listed symptoms, then they speak of a progressive disease. This inflammatory process is referred to as glossitis; the prognosis for recovery from it is usually favorable. The appearance of erosions, furrows and ulcers indicates damage to the deep parts of the tongue. In this case, you should definitely contact a specialist.

Sometimes the tongue cracks and becomes covered with ulcers due to general damage to the ENT organs. Thus, tonsillitis or fungal pharyngitis can cause swelling and the appearance of white grooves. This condition is not isolated as an independent disease. Treatment in such cases begins with eliminating the underlying problem.

Reasons for appearance

Reasons for education:

• lack of nutrients, iron and vitamin PP in the patient’s body;
• anemia;
• lack of B vitamins;
• allergic reaction to toothpaste or medications;
• chronic fatigue and constant nervous tension;
• mechanical damage to the tongue (nervous biting, chewing);
• disruption of capillary blood flow in the tongue;
• the patient has diseases such as gastritis, enterocolitis, hepatitis, cholecystitis;
• wearing uncomfortable dentures.

The main reason why the tongue is cracked is mechanical injuries due to a lack of vitamins and microelements in the patient’s body. In this case, it is enough to bite your tongue while chewing food so that a painful crack forms at its tip.

Another fairly common reason why a patient’s tongue is cracked is a malfunction in the patient’s central nervous system, which is caused by chronic fatigue, frequent stress, and lack of sleep. This is a reason to suspect a problem with the hypothalamus.

It happens that patients are perplexed: why there are cracks on the tongue, there seems to be no visible reason for their appearance. In this case, the answer to the question of why cracks appear can only be given by an experienced doctor, after a thorough diagnosis. It is necessary to do a detailed blood test to determine which microelements and vitamins are missing in the patient’s body. Quite often, correction of the nutritional system helps get rid of the disease.

Many people are probably interested in the question of what cracks mean. After all, the tongue, as is known, signals the presence of many diseases and pathological conditions of the human body. Cracks in the tongue are a sign of a lack of vitamins and microelements in the body. Quite often, cracks are caused by worms, as they deplete the human body, causing anemia and iron deficiency. They also indicate a diseased liver, since with this disease the human body does not receive many microelements important for health.

Cracks in the tongue on the side can be a sign of thyroid disease; in this case, it swells and is injured at the edges by the patient’s teeth.

How and with what to treat cracks in the tongue

Whatever disease causes cracks in the tongue, damage to the oral cavity requires symptomatic treatment. Patients are prescribed:

• analgesics (for pain relief), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
• steroid medications, for severe inflammation: Prednisolone, Hydrocortisone;
• for pain in the tongue, applications with anesthetics are used: “Trimecaine”, “Lidocaine”, “Pyromecaine”;
• a drug that stimulates epithelial restoration, for example “Dalargin”;
• antimicrobial agents (antibiotics), for bacterial and fungal complications;
• calcium pantothenate;
• vitamins;
• antihistamines;
• decoctions, infusions, rinses with antiseptics;
• solcoseryl paste;
• exclusion of hot, spicy foods and other irritants.

Folk remedies also reduce inflammation, swelling, and have a wound-healing effect. Herbal preparations, infusions, and decoctions are used to rinse the mouth. Here are some recipes:

• A decoction of oak bark with the addition of honey. Four tablespoons of crushed bark are poured with cold water (take 4 cups) and put on fire. When the composition boils, remove from the stove, leave for half an hour, filter, and add honey to the warm infusion. Rinse your mouth and throat up to 5 times a day.
• Compress made from cottage cheese and sour cream. Wrap the mixture in gauze, apply it to your tongue, and do this before breakfast.
• Herbal collection: pour sage, raspberries, mallow and coltsfoot (all 20 g), pour 200 ml of boiling water. Leave for about 2 hours, rinse your mouth and throat.
• Rinse your mouth with potato juice (squeeze fresh).

If damage is localized in the area of ​​the tip of the tongue, it is recommended to take daily baths with herbs and infusions. The affected part is immersed directly in a cup with infusion. During treatment, a strict diet is followed. Spicy, salty, smoked foods, scalding teas, and alcohol should be eliminated from the diet. Anything that dries or damages the lingual epithelium is excluded.

Treatment

The main question that worries patients with glossalgia is how to cure cracks in the tongue. In fact, everything is not so difficult. The treatment method depends on the cause of glossalgia.

1. First, it is necessary to eliminate the dental causes of tongue cracks - correct an incorrect bite, replace defective fillings, and adjust the prosthesis. Next, the patient should be carefully examined by a therapist, neurologist, and, if necessary, by an endocrinologist and gastroenterologist. And only after this should treatment for glossalgia be prescribed.
2. Typically, treatment for fissures consists of drug therapy and physiotherapeutic procedures. Treatment with medications is to improve blood circulation in the tissues of the oral cavity, as well as to improve general cerebral circulation. For this purpose, drugs such as trental, cavinton, nicotinic acid, and vitamin C are prescribed.
3. The tone of the autonomic nervous system should also be improved; for this purpose, sedatives are prescribed - tincture of valerian, motherwort, persen.
4. Additionally, the doctor may prescribe procedures such as hirudotherapy or electrical neurostimulation using a TENS device. A good effect is achieved by using electrophoresis, as well as iontophoresis of novocaine.
5. If the tongue is severely painful, the doctor may prescribe local painkillers - lidocaine, dicaine.
6. If the patient has cracks in the tongue, plaque and burning, it is necessary to adjust the diet. During treatment, you should completely exclude from the diet foods that irritate the surface of the tongue - such as sour juices, vegetables, pickles and marinades. You should not consume large amounts of spices, especially pepper and salt. It is advisable to quit smoking.
7. After each meal, be sure to brush your teeth and rinse your mouth with salted water or a decoction of medicinal herbs. Oak bark, sage, propolis, and honey have a healing effect.

Features of care

If you have this pathology, you do not need to self-medicate; careful care and supervision by a specialist are required. In general, you should take care of your oral cavity as follows:

• general oral hygiene;
• rinsing;
• if the patient uses removable dentures, they should also be thoroughly cleaned after eating;
• it is necessary to avoid spicy, salty food, it should not be too hot or cold;
• giving up bad habits (smoking, alcohol);
• You need to brush your teeth with a special paste;
• the toothbrush should be made of synthetic materials: this will help avoid damage;
• regular visits to the dentist.

Such careful care will help neutralize the oral cavity from bacteria, which will prevent their proliferation and the occurrence of associated infections.

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