Pain in the tongue can be the result of microtrauma, irritation of the mucous membrane, occurs with glossalgia, some glossitis, abscess and phlegmon of the tongue, acute oral candidiasis, xerostomia, neuralgia, dental problems, pernicious and iron deficiency anemia, allergic reactions. More often burning, raw, tingling, tingling. With purulent processes - sharp, bursting, twitching, pulsating. It is diagnosed on the basis of complaints, examination data, instrumental and laboratory studies. Treatment includes rinsing, applications, the appointment of physiotherapy techniques, general drugs, and sometimes surgery.
Pain in the tongue is often the result of minor injuries: superficial burns with too hot liquid, accidental biting, damage by hard pieces of food, fish bones. Pain is combined with numbness or, conversely, hypersensitivity. Disappear within a few minutes or hours, less often - days.
Burning, soreness of the tongue can also be provoked by the intake of spicy foods, some spices, and the use of strong alcoholic beverages. In smokers, the sensitivity of the tongue increases due to the constant action of tobacco smoke on the mucous membrane, which leads to the frequent occurrence of pain under the influence of other stimuli.
More serious injuries occur due to biting the tongue during an epileptic attack, sports, accidents. Abrasions, wounds in the form of teeth marks are found on the tongue. Depending on the severity of the injury, pain persists from several days to 1-2 weeks. In patients with improperly selected orthodontic constructions, ill-fitting removable dentures, pain is the result of chronic irritation of the tongue. With advanced caries, the organ is systematically injured by the sharp edges of the teeth.
The pain syndrome is not observed in all glossitis, it is more typical for infectious lesions. The inflammatory process of bacterial etiology is manifested by hyperemia, swelling, increased local temperature, aching, aching pains. With viral glossitis, vesicles form, which subsequently open with the formation of painful erosive defects.
Pain in the tongue
An abscess develops against the background of microtrauma or becomes a complication of bacterial glossitis. Rapid onset and progression of symptoms are characteristic. Superficial abscesses are localized under the mucosa, usually in the back area. They are an area of limited edema with painful induration in the center. Accompanied by sharp pain when moving the tongue, swallowing, sometimes with irradiation to the ear.
Deep abscesses are located in the thickness of the organ. Manifested by hyperthermia, intoxication syndrome, in some cases - chills, an increase in regional lymph nodes, profuse salivation. The tongue is so swollen that it can hardly fit in the mouth, making speech and breathing difficult. The pains are sharp, jerking, bursting, throbbing, aggravated by movement, swallowing, touching.
In patients with phlegmon, the zone of purulent inflammation is not limited, it quickly spreads to the entire tongue, the bottom of the mouth, and the neck. Febrile fever, chills, regional lymphadenitis are observed. The pain syndrome is intense, diffuse, depriving of sleep. Eating is very difficult or impossible. Speech is slurred. Due to the overlap of the airways due to swelling of the soft tissues of the oral cavity and oropharynx, asthma attacks develop.
Painful sensations are more often observed in acute candidiasis, uncharacteristic of the chronic form of the disease. Children, the elderly, debilitated patients with severe somatic pathologies suffer. A loose or dense milky-white cheesy coating is formed on the tongue, spreading to the palate, cheeks, lips. When plaque is removed, a bleeding eroded or macerated mucous membrane is exposed.
When eating, there is pain, burning. In the absence of therapeutic measures, transformation into atrophic candidiasis is possible. The tongue becomes shiny, fiery red. The papillae atrophy. The mucous membrane of the oral cavity is edematous, hyperemic, dry, thinned. Patients complain of severe pain in the affected area. Plaque is not detected or insignificant.
Glossalgia is a pathology accompanied by unpleasant sensations in the tongue in the absence of organic changes. Occurs in diseases of the liver and gastrointestinal tract, vascular, endocrine diseases, pathologies of the central and peripheral nervous system. Painful sensations without a clear localization, diffuse, have a burning, tingling or raw character, are more pronounced in the tip and sides, less often appear on the root, back of the tongue. May be episodic or regular. As a rule, they are combined with neurotic disorders.
Pain in the tongue worries at the final stage of the disease. Against the background of complete inhibition of the function of the salivary glands, glossitis develops. Constant dryness of the mucous membrane leads to the formation of erosions and ulcers. Painful sensations are aggravated by talking, eating, combined with constant dryness in the mouth. Patients with xerostomia may present with multiple caries.
Pain in the two anterior thirds of the tongue is characteristic of the defeat of the third branch of the trigeminal nerve (n.mandibularis), combined with pain in the chin, lower jaw, lower lip, gums, buccal mucosa. The pain syndrome has a paroxysmal character, it is a series of impulses resembling an electric shock. Provoked by cold exposure, shaving, chewing, speech, laughter.
With neuralgia of the glossopharyngeal nerve, pain appears at the root of the tongue, from where it spreads to the tonsils, soft palate, pharynx, and sometimes the ear, eye, and lower jaw. The attack is provoked by swallowing, chewing, yawning, coughing, talking, accompanied by dryness in the throat, which, at the end of the paroxysm, is replaced by increased salivation.
Neuralgia of the hyoid node is characterized by pain in the anterior parts of the tongue, the hyoid zone: boring, burning, pulsating, paroxysmal. It lasts from several minutes to 1 hour. It radiates to the lower jaw, temple, occiput, lateral surface of the neck, shoulder girdle, sometimes to the arm, upper chest. It is aggravated by talking, eating, especially plentiful or spicy.
Pain in the tongue is typical for pernicious anemia, due to glossitis. The tongue becomes "varnished", acquires a crimson color. Weakness, tachycardia, dizziness are observed. Typical symptoms are shortness of breath, pale skin, puffiness of the face. Appetite loss, hepatomegaly, stool instability are found. Neurological disorders are detected: muscle weakness, changes in gait, stiffness, numbness of the extremities.
Sometimes painful sensations in the tongue occur with iron deficiency anemia. Glossitis is combined with dysphagia, angular stomatitis, atrophic gastritis. The prevailing symptoms are weakness, tinnitus, dizziness, shortness of breath, palpitations. Dry skin, nail deformity, hair loss are noted.
Pain in the tongue is sometimes detected in the following conditions:
Oral examination
The cause of the symptom is determined by the dentist. If there are indications, patients are referred for a consultation with a gastroenterologist, therapist, neurologist, and other specialists. The doctor establishes when the pain first appeared, what symptoms accompanied it, how the disease developed. To clarify the diagnosis, the following procedures are performed:
It is recommended to refuse too hot, cold, spicy and spicy dishes. You should eat soft foods that do not injure the tongue, preferably stewed, boiled, steamed. The best option is a diet that includes mashed potatoes, mucous porridges, pureed soups. Before and after eating, you need to rinse your mouth with weak solutions of chlorhexidine and potassium permanganate or a solution of furacilin. With severe pain, the surface of the tongue can be lubricated with local anesthetics.
An important part of the treatment is the rehabilitation of the oral cavity, if necessary, the replacement of prostheses and orthodontic structures. The list of therapeutic measures is determined by the nature of the pathology:
Operations are indicated for patients with phlegmon and abscess. An abscess is opened by a longitudinal incision of the tongue or a skin incision under the chin. The cavity is washed with a solution of antibiotics and proteolytic enzymes. Perform drainage. With neuralgia caused by compression of the nerve by a tumor, blood vessel, or tight walls of the bone canal, surgical interventions are required to eliminate compression.