Tongue is very useful when chewing, swallowing, and speaking. Tongue has the equally important function as teeth, which helps the digestive process of food. Tongue is very important for our bodies, therefore we must always maintain oral health for the tongue also remains healthy. But due to various factors, we often have trouble making tongue discomfort, such as:
1. Injuries: trauma is the most frequent cause tongue discomfort. The tongue has many nerve endings for pain and touch and is more sensitive to pain than most other parts of the body. The tongue often suddenly bitten but quickly recovered. Sharp or broken teeth can be very damaging the fragile tissue.
2. ‘Hairy’: growing too fast than normal projection on the tongue (villi) can make the tongue appear hairy. The tongue may also appear hairy after a fever, after antibiotic treatment, or when peroxide mouthwash is used too frequently. ‘Feathers’ is the tip of the tongue does not need to be confused with hairy leukoplakia. Hairy leukoplakia is formed on the side of the tongue and is characteristic of AIDS.
3. Change colors: villi tongue can become discolored if a person smokes or chews tobacco, eating certain foods, or has colored bacteria growing on the tongue.
The tip of the tongue may look black if a person using bismuth preparations for stomach disorders. Brushing the tongue with a toothbrush or scraping with a tongue scraper can eliminate some discoloration.
Iron deficiency anemia can make the tongue look pale and creamy. Pernicious anemia, caused by a deficiency of vitamin B12, can also make the tongue look pale and creamy. The first sign of scarlet fever likely to change from normal color to the color of strawberry tongue, and then the color of raspberries. Strawberry-red tongue in young children can also be a sign of Kawasaki disease. Smooth red tongue and painful mouth may indicate pellagra, a type of malnutrition caused by deficiency of niacin (Vitamin B3) in food. Red tongue may also be inflamed (glossitis)-the tongue is red, painful, and swollen.
Whitish spots, similar to what is found inside the cheek, can be accompanied by fever, dehydration, the second stage of syphilis, thrush, lichen planus, leukoplakia, or mouth breathing disorders.
In geographic tongue, some areas of the tongue are white or yellow and rough, whereas another part is red and tender. Discolored area occurred about more than one period weekly to annual. The situation is usually not painful, and requires no treatment.
4. Injuries and bumps: injury to the tongue can be caused by allergic reactions, herpes simplex virus infections of the mouth, sores canker sores, tuberculosis, bacterial infection, or early-stage syphilis. Injuries can also be caused by allergies or other immune system disorders.
Although small bumps on both sides of the tongue are usually harmless, a bump on only one side may be cancerous. White or red area that can not be explained, injury, or swollen (become hard) on the tongue-especially if painless-possible signs of cancer and should be examined by a doctor or dentist. Most oral cancers grow on one side of the tongue or on the floor of the mouth. Cancer almost never appears at the tip of the tongue, except when the cancer occurs after untreated syphilis.
5. Discomfort: uncomfortable tongue can result from irritation by certain foods, especially acidic (eg, pineapple), or a particular taste in toothpaste, mouthwash, candy, or chewing gum. Some drugs can cause tongue discomfort, as well as injury and infection can do. Common infection causing tongue discomfort is thrush (candidiasis), where the mushroom-shaped white coating on teeth that are too fast to grow that covers the tongue. Intense pain in the mouth can be caused by burning mouth syndrome.
Usually, this is a process of elimination to discover just what is causing the discomfort. Discomfort in the tongue is not caused by infection is usually treated by removing the cause. For example, the person may try to change the brand of toothpaste, discontinue irritating foods, or fix sharp or broken teeth by a dentist. Washing with warm salt water can help. Thrush can be treated with antifungal drugs, such as nystatin or fluconazole.