Common Disorders of the Tongue
By: Ken HurtTotal Views: 59, Word Count: 618,
Tongue helps you to chew, taste, and swallow. It also helps you to speak in a proper way. The upper surface of tongue controls your taste buds. However, there are some common disorders of the tongue that can cause some severe problem if not treated on time. People of any age can face tongue disorders. Reason behind such a problem is infection, poor oral hygienic conditions, and genetic tendencies. One of the common causes of such disorder is slight discomfort in appearance. However, this can be treated easily. Tongue disorder if not treated immediately can lead to severe health problems. Hence, it is advisable to consult a health care expert if you experience any signs of tongue disorders to get the best treatment options.
Common Disorders of the Tongue
1. Pain
2. Injury
3. Swelling
4. Taste problems
5. Sores and bumps
6. Changes in color or texture
7. Abnormal movement or difficulty moving the tongue
8. Geographic tongue
All these signs have different causes. To treat such disorder, it is necessary to treat the cause.
· Pain
Pain can occur in tongue if traumatic injury has being experienced causing some discomfort. There are many nerves on the tongue which are extremely sensitive. Any damage to such nerves can cause more pain as compared to other body parts. Sometimes while chewing, we tend to bite our tongue. However, it gets healed quickly. Pain can become severe if broken tooth bites the tongue, as it can damage delicate tissues.
· Taste Problems
Such problem is caused due to side effects of medicines, nerve problems, cold and cough, an infection, or some other conditions. Your tongue can easily sense salty, sweet, bitter, or sour taste. But when the above mentioned problems occur, your tongue may find it difficult to distinguish the taste.
· Hairy and Discolored Tongue
Such disorder occurs when papillae turn dark and start growing long. You won't face any kind of pain or other problems. This problem is caused due to excess tobacco use, poor oral hygiene, and reactions to medicines. Such disorder can be treated easily. Doctors will advise to scrub the tongue with a toothbrush and avoid smoking. You will be also advised to eat healthy food and beverages.
· Sores and Bumps
Sore problem is another common disorder which is caused due to poor oral hygiene, some allergic reaction, bacterial infections, oral herpes simplex virus infection, tuberculosis, early-stage syphilis, and canker sores. They are also caused by other immune system disorders. Usually, small bumps present on both sides of the tongue are harmless. However, a bump on only one side can be cancerous leading to life at risk. It is always better to take preventive actions for problem of sore bumps, so that the problem doesn't get severe. Sores, bumps, lumps, and white patches on tongue can be signs of cancer. Such cancer grows on the sides of the tongue or on the top of the tongue. Such signs need to be examined by a doctor.
When certain areas of the tongue become abnormally red and smooth, geographic tongue occurs. During such disorder small bumps on the tongue s tend to disappear in patches. Such problem occurs due to excess stress, changes in hormone levels, or allergies. It can also happen to the person with a family history of geographic tongue. This disorder is not at all painful and usually goes away without any treatment in a month with proper rinsing.
Common disorders of tongue are usually not painful. However, it can lead to severe health problems in future if not treated on time. Treatment for tongue disorder depends on diagnosing the problem. Hence, it is always better to keep mouth clean by brushing regularly.
About the Author
Dr. Ken Hurt is a well known dentist and has been in this field since 1995. He is graduated in doctor of dental medicine from London University. His interest lies in cosmetic dentistry, gum and teeth replacement, children dentistry, drug therapy, psychology in dentistry, oral surgery and pathology
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