A tiny, pink muscle that has many capabilities and, like a hand, performs activities that other organs in the human body cannot perform. This muscle is called the tongue; The organ without which we cannot eat food and we cannot understand the different tastes of what we eat.
Although we sometimes forget the existence of the tongue, this small organ of the body needs care, contrary to what many of us think. The topic of our discussion is not oral hygiene, although this issue is also very important, but this time we have discussed more serious problems of the tongue with Dr. Katayun Kalhari, an oral and dental pathology specialist, which you are reading. After reading this talk, don’t be afraid. You just need to be more sensitive to your language waste from now on.
The size of the language
The size of the tongue is one of the problems that can trouble people for various reasons. The most common cause of tongue enlargement is muscle enlargement or vascular lesions. Enlargement of the tongue usually happens for no particular reason. However, sometimes nerve tumors, lymphatic vessels and tumors originating from endocrine glands can also cause tongue enlargement. Of course, these tumors are not necessarily malignant and are usually treated.
The size of the language has different types; Sometimes the whole tongue of the patient is enlarged, and in this way it becomes difficult for him to do things like swallowing or speaking. Sometimes, only half of the tongue is enlarged, and in the third case, there may be several protrusions in the patient’s tongue.
Of course, it should be noted that some diseases, such as Down’s syndrome and hypothyroidism, also cause the problem of a large tongue. In hypothyroidism, by treating the disease, the problem of the large tongue will disappear, but in syndromes, it is not possible to treat the tongue due to the presence of genetic problems.
When your tongue becomes colored
Another problem that can be seen in the language is changing the color of the language. In this type of language change, it usually changes color to white or shiny red. This problem is caused by fungal infections or may also be seen when scarlet fever occurs. Of course, sometimes the tongue of some people may also take on a brown color. This color change does not originate from a specific disease and is mostly seen in smokers and those who do not follow oral hygiene.
A sore tongue causes cancer
Wounds on the tongue are very important and should be taken seriously, these wounds are usually a sign of tongue cancer, and if you see them, you should see a specialist immediately.
Of course, in order to know the characteristics of cancerous wounds, you should pay attention to these points:
What are the cancer scars like: Cancer scars are usually indented. These wounds actually consist of a wound center with prominent and inverted edges.
Broken tooth wound: Not every wound is caused by cancer. Therefore, if you see such wounds, you should also pay attention to other problems; For example, a broken tooth with sharp edges can injure the tongue. Even while sleeping, talking or chewing, the tongue may be bitten and as a result sore.
Age and wound: the patient’s age should be taken into account, but age is not always the cause of tongue cancer; In fact, the context must be created first.
Tongue and smoking: Sometimes tongue cancer is also seen in young people due to excessive smoking, but this disease is more common in old age.
Wound and external causes: If the wound on the tongue has external causes, it is better to fix the problem first and wait for the wound to heal for two weeks. If the ulcer heals during this time, we can be sure that it was not caused by cancer, but if there is no change in the ulcer, your doctor will use the sampling method to diagnose the tongue problem.
What does sampling say?
Tongue sampling is important because sometimes the ulcer may be caused by a fungal disease or caused by syphilis. Tongue cancer has other symptoms besides ulcers. Sometimes a mass is formed inside the tongue, the end or the base of which is hard. This lump is as important as the wounds and should not be ignored easily.
In general, one should be sensitive to any unexpected event in the oral space, especially the tongue, but this does not mean anxiety and obsessive control of the oral space. The best time to examine the oral cavity is after brushing.
Why are scars important?
As we said, the wounds created on the tongue are very important. The reason for this is the importance of tongue cancer because this disease actually accounts for half of oral cancers. Tongue cancer is called SCC. This title is an abbreviation of “squamous cell carcinoma”.
Early diagnosis of tongue cancer is very important because it can have a great impact on the life of the cancer patient.
If you have a sore on your tongue, don’t ignore it easily. Tongue cancer is not a simple disease, so see a specialist in time. These wounds range from a small point to large lesions and should not be ignored.
My tongue got hair!
Maintaining oral hygiene and not smoking is a way to treat hairy tongue.
You must have heard this saying: “I have talked enough, my tongue has lost its hair.” This may be a proverb at first glance, but it is a scientific fact! The tongue can be hairy, but apart from this particular incident, the tongue may have other problems. In order to understand the difference between healthy and problematic language, after reading the article, look closely at the structure of your language.
The language should have a uniform and almost smooth structure. There should not be a special protrusion on the tongue. This means that certain grains on the tongue should not be highlighted and create an unusual structure on the tongue. There is also an invisible line in the middle of the tongue. This line should not be in the form of grooves or cracks. This issue indicates a problem in the oral space.
“Hair” on the tongue
Contrary to what is in popular reforms, the language never grows hair. So what are the hairs that are sometimes seen on the tongue? In fact, what appears in the form of hair on the tongue is the accumulation of a substance called keratin on the villi of the tongue, which has become long lesions. The most common cause of this lesion is excessive smoking; However, this problem is also seen in those who are unable to do oral and dental hygiene due to disabilities and among people who do radiotherapy.
Sometimes, some biotics and mouthwashes may also cause the accumulation of keratin in the tongue, resulting in hairy tongue. This lesion occurs mostly in the middle line and front part of the tongue. The location of this hairy tongue is important because another lesion with the same shape and image may develop on the side of the tongue, which is actually a type of precancerous lesion.
Tongue hairs have different colors and are usually yellow and brown and sometimes black. Of course, keratin itself is colorless and the accumulation of bacteria, food or smoking causes different colors to appear in it.
A hairy tongue does not cause pain or irritation to the patient, but its presence in the mouth is very unpleasant and may make a person feel nauseous. Of course, it is also important to mention that this is not actually a disease and can be cured by observing oral hygiene, not smoking and brushing the tongue. These actions actually reduce the accumulation of keratin on the villi of the tongue and eliminate the created hair.
Where do the grooves on the tongue come from?
One of the common problems of the tongue, which is seen in approximately 3 to 4 percent of people, is a grooved tongue. This problem is actually the opposite of a hairy tongue, in which the keratin that is normally present on the tongue is lost and furrows appear on the tongue.
Grooved tongue is usually caused by natural and hereditary factors, and of course, as people age, this problem becomes more common.
The shape of these grooves is different in different people. In some they are shallow and in some they are so many that it is as if the tongue is divided into small islands. A few of these people also feel a burning sensation in the grooves of their tongue. A furrowed tongue has no specific treatment and may improve over time.
We also have language pregnancy map!
Sometimes the color of the tongue is white for a few days, do you know the reason?
The language also becomes pregnant
Pregnant tongue is a term that we have heard a lot, but the nature of this lesion may not be clear to everyone. This problem is actually the pregnant tongue, but in this case, the bacteria have increased so much that the space between the villi of the tongue is filled and as a result, a thick layer has been created on the entire surface of the tongue. People who suffer from this problem always complain of very bad breath; However, their problem, like those with hairy tongue, can be solved with oral hygiene and brushing.
Geography map on language
Sometimes, along with grooved tongue, another problem occurs for people, which is called geographic tongue. This problem, like grooved tongue, is very common and affects many people.
In the problem of geographic tongue, red spots are usually seen on the side and tip of the tongue. The reason for these spots is that not only there is no keratin in those areas, but the villi of the tongue have also disappeared.
Patients with this problem sometimes feel a burning sensation in their tongue, and it is better to avoid consuming hot and spicy foods to reduce this burning sensation. Of course, this issue does not require special treatment, except in cases where the burning is very high, in which case betamethasone gel is prescribed for the patient.
Source-community of health
