Language can be called a very informative diagnostic “tool”. Many diseases of internal organs, dysfunctions of the central nervous system and dental pathologies quickly affect this organ.
This leads to changes in the color, size, shape, relief of the tongue and the sensations that arise in it. One of these symptoms, indicating health problems, is complaints that the child’s tongue itches.
The tongue itches - what to do if the organ literally itches
The tongue can itch not only in a figurative sense. If you experience unpleasant irritating sensations, the first thing you should do is figure out what could be the reason for the appearance of this symptom. The organ is a muscle containing a huge number of nerves and blood vessels. The occurrence of discomfort, burning, soreness, swelling and itching in the tongue always indicates some pathological condition, and the symptom itself may be associated with dental disease and disturbances in the functioning of internal organs.
Why might my tongue itch?
In any case, if this symptom develops, you should immediately see a specialist. Further in this article we will find out why the tongue may itch, what preconditions contribute to this, and what to do in such a situation.
Possible complications
Itching itself causes more or less pronounced discomfort, which can have a negative impact on the child’s sleep and appetite, and lead to behavioral disorders. But a much more serious threat is the cause of this symptom. Thus, if left without proper treatment, allergies can gradually increase in intensity, which leads to severe disruptions in the functioning of the immune system and can cause the development of immediate allergic reactions such as anaphylaxis.
Any other diseases and conditions that cause itching of the tongue can cause active inflammation of its tissues. As a result, an enlargement of the tongue develops, a thickening of its base, which becomes a threat to respiratory function.
These complications are relatively rare, but they give an idea of what can happen if you don't pay attention to a "no big deal" symptom.
What can cause an itchy tongue?
A phenomenon such as itching of the tongue and lips can be caused by one of many different factors. Here are the most common causes of this unpleasant symptom:
- mechanical injury: the tongue of both a child and an adult may begin to itch due to banal biting or damage of another nature, for example, as a result of a burn. Very often, the culprit is rubbing the mucous membrane with the sharp edges of a crown, an incorrectly fitted prosthesis or an incorrectly adjusted brace system. Also, this symptom may well be a consequence of the use of low-quality cosmetics or oral hygiene products,
Tongue injury can cause itching
“Somehow this happened to me too. Right in the middle of the day, for no apparent reason, my tongue itched. And let me tell you, this is not a pleasant feeling! And your hands just reach out to scratch at least a little! In general, I immediately decided that it was because of the spicy food, at home I thoroughly cleaned my tongue with a brush, and in the morning the itching appeared again, and most importantly, only on one side. At lunchtime I ran to the dentist, and he immediately said that it was all about the sharp crown. It apparently became so uncomfortably worn over time, and as a result, it scratched the tongue. This is where it started to itch...”
LudaKam, 31 years old, Saratov, from correspondence on a thematic forum
- Oral diseases: one of the most common causes of itching is a disease such as glossalgia. In this case, it is usually the tip of the organ that begins to itch, but in some cases patients experience severe itching on the sides. Associated symptoms include burning, pain, tingling in the tongue, as well as dryness of the oral mucosa. Quite often, the disease develops against the background of strong emotional experiences and stressful situations, but the disease can also be triggered by injury to an organ, taking certain medications, or malfunctions in the internal systems of the body,
The photo shows glossitis of the tongue - Gastrointestinal pathologies: problems in the gastrointestinal tract in most cases are reflected specifically in the condition of the tongue. For example, pathologies such as gastritis, ulcers or pancreatitis can provoke itching and burning in an organ,
- stress and depression: against the background of severe nervous exhaustion, some changes occur in the composition of saliva and the volume of its secretion,
- deficiency of vitamins and microelements: sometimes due to a lack of B vitamins, iron and folic acid, the tongue begins to itch very much,
- allergy: such a manifestation may well be an allergic reaction of the body to some irritant, for example, to hygiene products, the presence of an allergen in the oral cavity in the form of metal parts of braces or a prosthetic device,
- candidiasis: the development of a fungal infection often becomes the body’s response to a sharp weakening of the immune defense. In this case, along with itching, burning and tingling occurs, and a dense cheesy coating appears. Quite often, the cause of this problem is long-term use of antibiotics. By the way, in children the disease in question develops almost twice as often as in adults.
This is what a fungal infection on the tongue looks like
Other possible provoking factors include the constant irritating effect of tobacco smoke, abuse of too spicy, salty or acidic foods - in such cases, it often begins to tingle and itch directly under the tongue. Excessive consumption of low-quality alcoholic beverages can also lead to the development of this symptom.
Appearance in children
Children often face this problem. The appearance of similar symptoms in a child almost always indicates the development of candidiasis. Here it is necessary to conduct a careful visual examination of the oral mucosa for the presence of a dense white coating with a cheesy consistency - this is the very first sign of the pathology in question. If your baby is still very young and cannot tell you about the symptoms that are troubling him, pay attention to whether he is constantly sticking out his tongue. This is how little children usually make it clear that they feel discomfort in the organ.
Stomatitis is common in infants
A common accompanying symptom is burning, and this is a good reason for parents to worry. Here you need to monitor the child’s psycho-emotional state, make sure that he does not experience any serious worries or stress. If you suspect that the cause of the itching lies precisely in the psychological state of the baby, it makes sense to show him to a neurologist. If the diagnosis is confirmed, the doctor will prescribe a course of sedatives. A childhood disease such as scarlet fever can also provoke itching in the tongue and even in the throat. In any case, if suspicious signs of pathology appear, the child should be shown to a doctor as soon as possible.
Prevention
The main measures to prevent diseases that cause itching in the mouth are:
- Teaching the child the principles of personal hygiene and food hygiene (eat only with clean cutlery, chew food thoroughly, wait for a dish that is too hot to cool, etc.).
- Timely treatment of any diseases, not only dental ones.
- If a child has any type of allergy, contact with the allergenic substance should be excluded.
- For diseases accompanied by nasal congestion, maintain a sufficient level of humidity and air temperature in the room within 18-20°C.
If the above symptoms appear in a child’s mouth, it is necessary to immediately see a dentist or any other pediatrician.
Diagnostic measures
The only correct decision regarding the appearance of the symptoms described above is to contact a knowledgeable specialist. Only a doctor can conduct a competent examination and identify the true cause of the discomfort. Thus, the main diagnostic procedures include:
- general blood analysis,
- taking a swab from the throat.
Tests can determine the true cause of the problem.
Having the test results in hand, the doctor can significantly narrow the range of suspected diseases and even immediately make an accurate diagnosis. It is likely that at the stage of identifying the source of the problem, consultation with highly specialized specialists - a dentist, neurologist, gastroenterologist - may be required. Without knowing the exact doctor’s conclusion, you should not make any attempts to solve the problem yourself, otherwise you can only worsen the situation.
Therapeutic measures – complex treatment
In order to get rid of an annoying symptom once and for all, you first need to identify its root cause, and it is this that needs to be treated. Medications may be prescribed as symptomatic therapy. Typically, complex treatment involves taking antihistamines, antipsychotics, immunostimulants and anti-inflammatory drugs. If the patient has a deficiency of beneficial vitamins and microelements, additional multivitamin complexes may be prescribed to strengthen the body's defenses.
Only a specialist can prescribe the correct treatment
If oral candidiasis is to blame, a specialist may prescribe antifungal agents. It is also mandatory to carry out complete sanitation of the oral cavity in order to eliminate any provoking factors. Other methods of relieving acute symptoms include all kinds of baths and applications using medicinal herbs: wheat germ, rose hips, sea buckthorn oil and others. In this regard, rinsing with a soda solution has worked well - one tablespoon per glass of water. However, it should be understood here that the use of any traditional medicine must first be agreed with the attending physician.
Dental Prerequisites
Mild swelling, tingling and hyperemia of the tongue quite often appear due to the development of dental diseases in a person. These include problems with the entire oral cavity, not just the teeth, but to solve them you need to visit a dentist. In this case, you need to consult a dentist. You can sign up at: https://www.cstom.ru at the family dentistry center.
The largest number of complaints that the tip of the tongue itches comes from those people who wear dentures. This is due to the high sensitivity of this organ related to the digestive system.
It is the huge number of nerve endings that provokes the occurrence of pruritus in response to the inappropriate size of the dentures, since in this case it is perceived as a foreign body that has entered the mouth by mistake.
Another most common dental cause that causes the tongue to constantly itch is considered buruxism (involuntary grinding of teeth at night).
In addition to these two main factors that predispose to the appearance of itching on the surface of this organ of the digestive system, experts often note the following ailments that are accompanied by unpleasant sensations:
- Sclerostomia (excessive dry mouth). This pathology occurs against the background of improper functioning of the salivary glands.
- Glossitis, characterized by the development of an inflammatory process in the papillae of the tongue. The disease quickly leads to the appearance of cracks and ulcers, which explains the appearance of unpleasant sensations on the tongue.
- Stomatitis. This pathology, associated with the penetration of microbes into the oral cavity, is familiar to many. It usually occurs in young children who are not accustomed to strict adherence to the rules of personal hygiene.
In addition to general and dental diseases, common causes of discomfort in the human oral cavity include dermatological pathologies of the mucous membranes and skin.
Among diseases of this kind, the most commonly diagnosed are oral candidiasis (the familiar thrush), leukoplakia, characterized by the appearance on the surface of the tongue of areas whose color has changed to white, oral herpes and lichen planus.
Preventive actions
To minimize any risks of developing diseases leading to the symptoms discussed above, you should take care of high-quality and regular oral hygiene. Every day, morning and evening, you should thoroughly clean not only the surface of your teeth, but also your tongue, because a huge amount of bacteria and food debris also accumulate on it. To do this, you can use a regular toothbrush or purchase a special device, such as a scraper.
Regular tongue cleaning will help avoid the problem.
As a preventive measure, from time to time you can rinse your mouth with decoctions of medicinal herbs or special antiseptic solutions, which can be purchased at any pharmacy. And do not forget about the importance of systematically visiting the dentist for preventive examinations.
- Sergeev A.O. Diagnosis and treatment of superficial candidiasis, 2001.
General Prerequisites
There are quite a lot of diseases that can provoke the appearance of this scourge. For the most part, they relate to specific ailments - dermatology, which is responsible for the occurrence of itching on the surface of the human body, and dentistry, which helps fight problems with the oral cavity.
But there are also ailments that do not fall into these categories that can provoke frequent tingling sensations in the tongue.
In this case, a general practitioner will be able to solve the problem. With its help, the following pathologies are identified, accompanied by the appearance of a narrowing on the surface of the organ responsible for the beginning of the digestive process:
- Iron-deficiency anemia;
- endocrine disorders, including type II diabetes mellitus and hypothyroidism;
- malignant process in the blood - chronic leukemia;
- alcohol abuse, simply alcoholism.
They can provoke the appearance of itchy sensations on the tongue and pathologies of the digestive system. Most often, this unpleasant symptom is accompanied by chronic gastritis and GERD.
In addition to itching of the tongue, these pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract quite often cause vitamin deficiencies and B12-deficiency anemia in a sick person.
