What to do if your tongue hurts: causes and methods of treatment

We are used to the fact that we need to go to the dentist if we have problems with our teeth or gums. What to do if you have inflammation of the tongue or glossitis? Dentists identify more than 10 types and subtypes of infection. This can be candidal, catarrhal, Gunter's or even purulent-phlegmonous inflammation of the tongue. There are many causes for the disease, so an accurate diagnosis is more important than ever. The most common types of glossitis are superficial and deep. In the first case, the mucous membrane in the area of the tongue becomes inflamed, in the second - the tongue itself, in addition to everything, an abscess appears.

Causes

The causes of tongue pain can be very diverse, ranging from mechanical damage to the presence of cancer. Most often, pain occurs for the following reasons:

presence of mechanical damage;
development of inflammatory processes;
various allergic reactions;
development of neuralgia;
the presence of hidden diseases of other organs of the human body;
blockage of the salivary gland;
presence of cancer.

The most common cause of pain on the tip or sides of the tongue is mechanical damage. Most often, the patient receives such injuries during eating, and they include biting, burns, scratches and cuts. The tongue can also be injured by chipped tooth enamel, an uncomfortable denture, or an unscrupulously installed filling with sharp edges. Constant, even minor injury can lead to long-term pain.

Inflammatory diseases of the oral cavity are dangerous and painful. If a patient has a sore tongue, throat, palate, and it hurts to swallow, the doctor has every reason to suspect the presence of inflammatory processes in the oral cavity. They can be caused by viral diseases of the nasopharynx, as a result of which the patient's sublingual lymph nodes become enlarged. In this case, the patient complains of pain when swallowing at the base of the tongue. With such symptoms, you should consult an otolaryngologist, since the cause of pain in the tongue may be acute purulent tonsillitis, which requires immediate medical treatment.

Another cause of pain is viral stomatitis. It affects both the surface of the tongue and the entire mucous membrane of the oral cavity. The disease is painful, causes difficulty in eating, and causes discomfort to the patient.

Often the causes of pain in the tongue lie in the presence of an allergic reaction in the patient. This could be an allergy to food or medications. Typically, the patient complains of tongue pain after eating, especially after kiwi, pineapple, seeds, drinking alcohol, and also after smoking a pipe and cigarettes.

Most often, an allergic reaction is expressed in the form of stomatitis or fungal diseases. Consumption of spicy food and alcohol only aggravates the painful condition. Discontinuation of those drugs and products that cause an allergic reaction leads to the disappearance of allergy symptoms.

Neuralgic diseases usually significantly complicate correct diagnosis; in this case, it is difficult to determine why the patient’s tongue hurts. The most common neuralgic disease is glossalgia. It occurs as a result of malfunctions of the endocrine system, as a result of neurogenic disorders, and also as a reaction to mental trauma or severe stress. With glossalgia, partial or complete numbness of the tongue, tingling, burning, and rapid fatigue of the tongue when speaking are observed. Often with glossalgia, the lips also hurt; the patient complains that he has a headache and a numb tongue.

Another reason for the appearance of pain in the tongue is the presence of hidden diseases of other organs and systems in the patient. The tongue reacts sharply to any changes in the condition of the body, and the result of infectious diseases of the body can be glossitis - inflammation of tissues.

Soreness can also be caused by diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular and endocrine systems, as well as the presence of anemia in the patient.

A blockage in the salivary gland, which is located near the tongue, can also lead to pain. In this case, the patient complains of pain under the tongue, constant discomfort and soreness of the oral cavity.

The most serious cause of tongue pain is cancer. In this case, patients complain of pain inside the tongue. In the early stages of cancer, there may be no pain at all; it usually appears in later stages. The treatment of oncological diseases is carried out by an oncologist, to whom both a general practitioner and a dentist can refer if there is a suspicion of oncological disease.

What is in the sublingual area

The tissues located on the lower jaw under the tongue are called the floor of the mouth. Due to the complexity of the structure, as well as the natural functionality of this area, a person often experiences problems accompanied by pain.

Structure of the sublingual region:

Hyoid muscles - have an elastic structure and are responsible for the motor function of the area;
Hyoid bone - has an anatomical shape in the form of a horseshoe, located in the muscle layer. It is the only bone in the human body that has no connections with other bones of the body;
Nerve endings are elements of the peripheral nervous system, responsible for the sensitivity of the sublingual area to various physical, mechanical and thermal stimuli;
Salivary glands - responsible for the production of saliva, which is involved in the process of wetting the mucous membranes of the oral cavity and the digestion process;
Blood vessels - provide nutrition to the tissues of the sublingual area;
Frenules are connecting folds in the sublingual area, responsible for connecting the sublingual tissues with the tongue.

Each of the above elements ensures the natural functionality of the dentofacial apparatus and participates in all physiological processes of the oral cavity.

Pain after puncture

Recently it has become fashionable to pierce the tongue, it is called piercing. We will skip moralizing on this topic and tell you briefly what this threatens.

Many patients complain that their tongue hurts for a long time after the puncture. This is considered normal, since a puncture, even the most skillful one, is a kind of injury that takes time to heal. In addition, the tongue is literally riddled with nerve endings, so the puncture site hurts especially strongly. It is impossible to say exactly how long the pain continues after the puncture; this happens individually for everyone: for some, the pain stops 2-3 days after the puncture, for others the pain lasts for 10-12 days. If your tongue is swollen and painful immediately after the piercing, this is normal. However, severe pain and swelling should gradually subside and disappear completely 4-5 days after the puncture. If the pain does not subside after a week or is acute and throbbing, you should immediately consult a doctor, as the possibility of infection cannot be ruled out.

Causes of pain after piercing:

damage resulting from puncture of nerve endings located in the tongue;
infection in the wound and development of the inflammatory process;
allergy to the metal from which the jewelry is made.

In order to prevent the development of complications, you should contact only professionals. After all, not every cosmetologist knows how to properly pierce the tongue without damaging the nerve or developing inflammatory processes. If, after the piercing, the pain when speaking and swallowing does not go away, you should consult a dentist or surgeon.

It should be warned that the closer to the edges of the tongue the puncture is made, the more painful and dangerous complications it is. The easiest way to heal is a puncture made in the center of the tongue, because along the edges of the tongue there are arteries, damage to which can even lead to death. How far from the tip the puncture is made also plays a role. The closer to the root the tongue is pierced, the more it swells and hurts.

If after piercing your tongue hurts on the side, left or right, you should definitely consult a doctor to see if the lateral arteries are damaged or if they are being pressed by a barbell.
If the patient is suffering from pain in the tip of the tongue, but it is not swollen and there are no signs of inflammation, such pain must be endured and the puncture site must be given time to heal.
If the tongue was pierced in the root area, you should expect that the pain at the base will be prolonged, and the healing itself will take 4-6 weeks.

Stitching pain in the tongue after piercing should alert you, as they most often indicate the development of an acute inflammatory process due to infection. Without timely treatment, an abscess may develop.

Functions

It is a common belief that a person needs language in order to speak. But it is also an organ of touch and taste and helps the digestive tract digest food.

There are other functions:

protective - the mucous membrane of the organ prevents the introduction of pathogenic microorganisms, viruses, infections and fungi;
sensitive - reacts to external manifestations - cold, pain, touch, etc.;
plastic - cells and tissues damaged in various situations are able to quickly regenerate and recover;
absorptive - thanks to the mucous membrane of the tongue, the process of penetration and absorption of various medications into the body occurs.

Even the most minor changes occurring on the surface of the mucosa (change in shade, the appearance of pain, cracks, etc.) indicate a violation of the functionality of internal organs or systems.

If pain and discomfort appears in the tongue, this should be a signal to consult a doctor. An emergency visit to a doctor is necessary if the pain is accompanied by swelling, redness of the mucous membrane and other symptoms.

Pain on the tip of the tongue

There may be several reasons for the occurrence of such pain:

Mini tip injury . In first place in terms of prevalence are mini-injuries of the tip of the tongue. Most often, patients inadvertently bite the tip of their tongue or burn it with too hot food. Such mini-injuries are painful and cause a lot of trouble for patients; the papillae hurt, and sometimes eating becomes impossible for a while due to severe pain. Over time, everything heals and passes without a trace.
Glossalgia is a serious disease in which the tip of the tongue most often hurts, less often its sides. The pain is manifested by a burning sensation; patients often complain that their tongue hurts, like after a burn. Sometimes the painful sensations spread to other organs of the oral cavity; the patient’s tongue and gums, sometimes lips and cheeks, hurt. If such symptoms are detected, you should immediately consult a doctor, since glossalgia is difficult to treat and exhausts the patient with its symptoms.
Glossitis is an inflammatory disease of the tongue. When it occurs, the tip of the tongue can be very painful, because the infection that causes inflammation usually gets into the wound, and the tip of the tongue is bitten much more often than other parts of it.
Stomatitis is also accompanied by severe pain in the tongue, which becomes covered with painful ulcers located over its entire surface.
Allergy . Allergic reactions are also common causes of pain.

Diagnostics

To determine the diagnosis, it is necessary to undergo the following types of research:

general and detailed analysis of blood and urine;
Ultrasound of internal organs;
secretory function of the stomach;
contrast x-ray of the stomach;
CT or MRI – performed for timely detection of oncology;
synthesis pancreatic hormones

You cannot refuse the examination - continued exposure to provoking factors will lead to a deterioration in the condition of the oral cavity and the spread of the disease to other organs.

Pain under the tongue at the base

Pain at the base of the tongue is a strong irritant for a person; it interferes with talking and eating, significantly worsening the patient’s quality of life. There are several causes of pain at the root:

With glossalgia, pain can be localized both at the tip of the tongue and at its base, it all depends on the structural features of the patient’s tongue.
With allergies, almost any part of the tongue can also hurt.
Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract can provoke severe pain at the root of the tongue, which annoys the patient for a long time.
With vitamin deficiency, patients complain of tingling and pain at the base.
The most serious causes of soreness at the base of the tongue are cellulitis and abscess. Symptoms of these diseases are severe acute pain at the base of the tongue, the inability to close the mouth, bad breath, increased salivation, in which saliva constantly drips from the mouth. The patient's tongue swells, causing speech impairment and difficulty breathing. Both abscess and phlegmon are extremely dangerous diseases, so if you notice at least one of the above symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor.

4. Stomatitis

The disease is characterized by inflammation of the oral mucosa, including the tongue. Main symptoms: the appearance of white spots or ulcers, swelling, increased sensitivity of the tip of the tongue, discomfort when eating, swallowing and talking. Treatment requires an integrated approach. It includes rinsing with herbal decoctions, the use of anti-inflammatory and antiseptic agents, which are prescribed by a doctor.

Stomatitis

Soreness on the sides of the tongue

If a patient complains of pain on the lateral surfaces of the tongue, the main reasons for their occurrence are most likely the same mechanical injuries, glossalgia or glossitis, allergic reactions and stomatitis. Often the tongue hurts on the sides due to poorly fitted dentures, which constantly injure the mucous membrane with its sharp edges.
If the patient smokes a lot, this can also cause severe pain.
If there is no apparent reason for the soreness of the tongue, and yet it hurts almost constantly, neuralgia should be suspected.

In any case, if your tongue is painful, you should consult a doctor; only he can make the correct diagnosis and prescribe appropriate treatment.

About the features of symptoms

Soreness of the tongue on the side is always accompanied by other symptoms, according to which the doctor can make a diagnosis during the first examination of the patient. Inflammation almost always develops in the affected area - it can be seen by such manifestations as:

redness of the mucous membrane;
ulcers and erosions;
sensation ;
whitish or gray coating;
the papillae of the tongue are enlarged;
swelling of the organ around the edges or completely.

In some diseases, dry mouth, increased salivation, swelling of nearby lymph nodes, and an increase in local temperature are observed. If a neurological pathology develops, a person may experience an unexplained numbness of the tongue, difficulty speaking, and a headache.

What to do and how to deal with pain?

First of all, you should contact one of the specialists dealing with oral diseases. This could be either a dentist or an otolaryngologist. Only a doctor can determine why the tongue hurts and what treatment needs to be prescribed.

Most often, patients are interested in what to do if the tip of the tongue hurts. First of all, you should rule out injury. If you bite or burn the tip of your tongue, you need to give the wound time to heal. As it heals, the pain will go away on its own. If the pain is caused by a piercing, you should follow all care recommendations, paying special attention to oral hygiene.

If your throat and white tongue hurt, it is most likely a sore throat or other upper respiratory tract disease. Inflammation of the tonsils is usually accompanied by severe pain at the base of the tongue, and if the left side hurts, it means that the left tonsil is more enlarged and inflamed and vice versa. If you notice redness of the throat, enlarged tonsils and submandibular lymph nodes, you should consult a therapist or otolaryngologist for treatment. After the sore throat goes away, the pain in the tongue will subside on its own.

If the tongue is very sore and the surface of the oral cavity is covered with a white cheesy coating and is inflamed, this is most likely candidal stomatitis. It is unlikely that you will be able to cope with the disease on your own, so you should contact a specialist for help.

The tongue may hurt after anesthesia, tooth extraction, and a visit to the dentist. This happens especially often if a back root tooth has been removed. At the same time, swelling of the gums, which is inevitable when a tooth is removed, can also affect the tongue area, causing its pain. Usually the discomfort goes away a few days after tooth extraction. If the pain persists longer, you should immediately contact the doctor who performed the tooth extraction.

Treatment

Help before diagnosis

To reduce tingling and burning, doctors recommend following a diet. All hot and spicy dishes are excluded from the menu; food should be warm, but not hot. Products are prepared by steaming, boiling or stewing so that they are soft and do not injure the surface of the tongue. It is necessary to regularly rinse your mouth with water or a weak solution of chlorhexidine: this helps get rid of tingling and also prevent inflammatory diseases of the oral cavity.

Conservative therapy

Treatment for a tingling tongue begins with dental care. The doctor sanitizes the oral cavity and, if necessary, changes fillings and incorrectly selected dentures. If after this the symptoms do not disappear, treatment is prescribed for the underlying disease causing glossalgia. Therapeutic regimens are selected by a specialized specialist: neurologist, endocrinologist, gastroenterologist.

Pathogenetic treatment includes medications that affect the nervous system, which help reduce painful paresthesias. Herbal sedatives, bromine preparations, and “daytime” tranquilizers are effective. For refractory symptoms, injections of B vitamins and trimecaine blockades are used. Local remedies provide a quick effect: lubricating the tongue with anesthesin, pyromecaine, oil solutions (vitamin A, rose hips).

Those suffering from desquamative glossitis are often prescribed physiotherapy, which includes medicinal electrophoresis, ultrasound therapy, and SMT therapy. For prolonged glossalgia, reflexology and ozone therapy help relieve tingling. To reduce the intensity of symptoms, laser therapy is used, which has an additional anti-inflammatory effect. Paresthesia of a neurogenic nature requires psychotherapy sessions.