What are the common tongue problems and Why do they occur?
The tongue is a muscular organ with no intrinsic bones and it is covered with lingual membranes. The upper surface of the tongue contains small bumps called Papillae that give the tongue its rough texture. The taste buds also present between the small nodules present over the surface and base of the tongue. Apart from sensing the taste of a dish and communication, the tongue plays a crucial role in breathing as well. Moreover, tongue aids in maintaining the shape of our mouth and face.
Similar to other oral tissues, the tongue is also prone to various detrimental problems because of certain pathological conditions and poor oral care. This article outlines the common problems and disorders in the tongue.
Table of Contents
What are the most common tongue disorders?
In general, the tongue problems can be identified with the changes in the tongue’s appearance and performance. Different factors trigger such abnormal conditions in tongue and treatment options also vary depending on the underlying causes. The problems with tongue include:
1) Enlarged tongue
The enlarged tongue (also known as Glossitis) occurs as a result of the inflammation in the underlying tissues of tongue. When the tongue enlarges, it becomes disproportionate to the mouth and probably causes trouble in breathing. In most cases, the inflamed tongue becomes swollen due to allergic reactions, microbial infection and injuries. Meanwhile, it also occurs as a side effect of some medications.
Meanwhile, some people have giant tongue since birth and it occurs as an effect of pathological conditions like:
- Apert syndrome
- Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome
- Idiopathic muscle hypertrophy
- Down syndrome
- Acromegaly, primary amyloidosis
- Congenital hypothyroidism
- Sjogren’s syndrome
2) Sore Tongue
Soreness in tongue and tongue bumps seem like the common problems with tongue but they are the indicators of life-threatening diseases like oral cancer, syphilis, tuberculosis. If you encounter difficulties in oral activities because of sore tongue or bumps, then consult your dentist immediately.
On the other hand, various aspects irritate the tongue tissues that lead to the soreness or bumps in tongue. Such factors include:
- Tongue injuries
- Allergies
- Bacterial or Viral infectious conditions
- Oral Thrush
- Canker Sores
3) Pain in Tongue
Pain in the tongue occurs an effect of a swollen tongue. Few people have difficulties like pain, burning sensation in tongue while swallowing food. As various oral problems share this problem as their symptoms, it is quite hard to pinpoint the tongue pain’s exact cause.
Besides oral infections or disorders like mouth ulcer, certain disorders are also associated with a painful tongue as follows:
- Anemia
- Leukoplakia
- Diabetic Neuropathy
- Cardiac problems
4) Problems with tongue movement
Tongue movement problem is an abnormal thing because it occurs with nerve damage. Our tongue is attached to the floor of the mouth through a band of tissue. In rare cases, the tissue is shorter than the actual size and it leads to a problem called Ankyloglossia.
Such problems in tongue movement are associated with speech issues and difficulties in swallowing.
5) Tongue Discoloration
The papillae present over the tongue surface provide the natural, pale pink color for our tongue. It gets discolored because of neglecting tongue cleaning and poor diet. You might see people with the yellow, black, brown or white colored tongue.
Apart from the stains leftover stains of foods and drinks we take, the discolorations on tongue occurred with dead cells. The accumulation of dead cells over the surface of tongue leads to the atypical colored layer on tongue.
You can clean that with a tongue scraper. We recommend our patient to clean or scrape their tongue after they brush the teeth. It will prevent tongue discoloration problems.
Bottom line
More are the cases, tongue problems arise due to underlying oral problems, health disorders or poor dental hygiene actions. Meanwhile, tongue disorders occur because of the lack of vitamin and mineral deficiencies. The other important thing behind this problem is poor fitting of dental appliances that irritate the oral tissues and provoke discomfort like tongue pain.
Except a few, most of the tongue problems are benign conditions and subside with fixing their underlying cause. But if you notice any tongue problem prolongs for a while, it may be a warning signal of any serious diseases and require proper dental treatments at right time.
