Stick out your tongue, do you see cracks in them? If yes, then you are amongst those 5% of the people living in the US with fissured tongue. Cracks in the tongue, painful or not aren’t categorized in the danger zone since it is not contagious and has no lingering symptoms.
A fissured or cracked tongue is a benign condition. Your tongue looks like it has deep or shallow cuts on it known as grooves. The scientific name for this condition is lingua plicata. Let’s discuss this issue in detail.
Cracks in Tongue – Symptoms
Major symptom as the name indicates are cuts or cracks in the tongue’s outer surface. Sometimes they may appear on the edges too. Their depth varies and entraps debris in them. Therefore, for such people brushing their tongue softly is beneficial.
Fissured Tongue – Causes
Unfortunately, there is no direct cause of this problem; however few conditions are linked to it:
- Vitamin Deficiencies – in some instances, lack of nutrition causes tongue cracks and it may or may not be painful. This problem may arise from B vitamins, zinc or iron deficiencies and I easily treated with the help of targeted supplements.
- Poor Oral Hygiene – cleanliness is also thought to increase the crack formation inside the tongue.
- Sjogren’s Syndrome – is associated with mouth dryness also known as xerostomia and lack of moisture is the reason why cuts or cracks emerge.
- Down Syndrome – a person who has an extra chromosome. Individuals with this issue are distinct in looks with developmental disabilities.
- Psoriasis – a skin disease that forms red patchwork all over the body, mostly in the knees, trunk, elbows etc.
How To Fix Cracks In Tongue?
Tongue fissures usually do not require treatment. It does not have visible symptoms other than grooves on the tongue edge or surface. One of the complications of a cracked tongue is accumulation of debris and if not cleaned may cause irritation leading to an infection, bad breath and tooth decay.
In some extreme cases, candida albicans infects deep grooves. In such a situation, the individuals are treated with antifungal topical creams. The best you can do is practicing a good oral hygiene regime, clean your mouth twice a day and brush the tongue too.
Conclusion
Routine dental visits always come in handy especially in early detection of diseases and clarification of any query you have regarding your oral cavity. Cracks in the tongue have no painful symptoms yet some people may experience burning, when consuming acidic content foods. If you are see that regular cleaning is not working or the tongue is developing an infection, call best dentist of Baytown at Dynamic Dental Solutions (281) 837-9090.