What does a dry tongue indicate?

• Published by: Laima Jansons

Dryness of the tongue and the oral cavity in general in some cases occurs due to lack of saliva . The salivary glands are located under the tongue; if they do not produce enough fluid or stop producing it altogether, dry mouth and throat occur. It may be accompanied by a burning sensation of the tongue, difficulty swallowing and chewing food . Dryness on the tongue and under the tongue can indicate certain diseases in the body.

Photo 1: Lack of saliva is called xerostomia, and this is a condition that can also be caused by serious diseases, so it should not be ignored. Source: flickr (Agencia ID).

Reasons why your tongue gets dry

The dryness of the tongue is influenced by external factors , such as hot climate, frost and windy weather, a room in which the air is too dry, then dryness of the mucous membrane of the eye will be observed. Dry tongue is also affected by:

1. smoking;
2. lack of fluid;
3. lack of vitamin A;
4. eating salty and spicy foods;
5. damage to the glossopharyngeal nerve;
6. postmenopausal woman.

When it dries under the tongue

A feeling of dryness under the tongue may occur due to taking certain medications , which, as a side effect, reduce the production of saliva; it may also be associated with chemotherapy in the treatment of cancer and disruption of the salivary glands.

Symptoms of lack of salivation:

1. frequent and severe thirst;
2. redness of the tongue;
3. cracks in the corners of the lips;
4. bad breath;
5. pain when swallowing;
6. tongue feels dry and rough.

Diseases

With xerostomia, dry mouth and tongue are accompanied by a metallic taste and impaired taste perception . This is typical for diabetes, kidney disease and some other diseases.

Dry tongue also occurs when dehydrated during :

1. intestinal infections;
2. appendicitis;
3. exacerbation of gastrointestinal ulcers;
4. gastritis;
5. thyroid diseases;
6. high temperature;
7. inflammation of the peritoneum;
8. disorders of motility of the biliary tract.

Important! To determine the cause, you need to pay attention to additional symptoms.

If you have problems with the gallbladder, then in the morning there may be a bitterness in your mouth that goes away after eating.

Inflammation of the salivary glands causes dryness of the tongue, at which time saliva may completely stop secreting. Diseases of the salivary glands are accompanied by their enlargement and pain.

Benign or malignant tumors of the glands also affect the decrease in saliva production.

With diabetes, metabolism is disrupted, insulin is not produced enough, and if you do not take medications or violate the regimen prescribed by your doctor, you may experience dry mouth, accompanied by increased thirst, weakness, and an increase in the amount of urine per day.

During a malfunction of the thyroid gland, there may be a feeling of dryness in the mouth and tongue , and there will be additional symptoms, such as increased sweating, diarrhea, decreased or lack of appetite; anxiety, irritability, and panic states appear.

DRY MOUTH: 6 REASONS

Diabetes

Dry mouth is one of the earliest and most common symptoms of diabetes.
Under the influence of excess sugar, the release of fluid from cells into the bloodstream increases, urination increases and the body becomes dehydrated faster. The result is thirst and constant dry mouth, especially noticeable at night and in the morning, when a person does not drink for a long time. Type 1 diabetes usually develops at a young age, before thirty, and the surge in type 2 diabetes, which is also called non-insulin-dependent, occurs in 50-60 years. What to do? If dry mouth occurs, take a fasting blood test for glucose and glycated hemoglobin, which provides information on the average glucose concentration over the past three months.

Sjögren's syndrome

This autoimmune disease is clearly linked to gender and age: 9 out of 10 affected women are women, and 9 out of 10 affected women are postmenopausal. Immune cells begin to attack the body’s own tissues, primarily the salivary glands. As a result, the production of saliva is significantly reduced, and constant dry mouth occurs, forcing you to carry water with you and wet your mouth all the time. In addition to the salivary glands, the lacrimal glands are also affected, which is why signs of dry eye syndrome occur: discomfort and pain in the eyes. With the help of medications, it is possible to achieve almost complete regression of the symptoms of the disease.

What to do? Register with a clinic that has extensive experience in treating systemic autoimmune diseases.

Side effects of drugs

Dry mouth often accompanies taking tablet forms of antibacterial and antifungal drugs, antidepressants and sleeping pills, drugs for the treatment of acne, antihistamines and some painkillers. Dryness may be clearly associated with taking the pill, or it may be felt constantly, worsening at night.

What to do? If, after prescribing a new medicine, dry mouth appears, contact the doctor who prescribed the drug; it is quite possible that he will be able to select a similar medicine without an unpleasant side effect.

4.Pathology of the nasopharynx

If a person breathes through his mouth most of the time, his mucous membrane dries out very quickly. This means that diseases such as sinusitis, chronic allergic or common runny nose, the presence of polyps in the nasopharynx or a deviated nasal septum, in a word, everything that prevents the nose from carrying air into the lower respiratory tract inevitably causes constant dry mouth.

What to do? If dryness is accompanied by symptoms such as difficulty in nasal breathing through one or both nostrils, constant nasal discharge, cough in the morning, low-grade fever in the evenings, be sure to consult an ENT specialist.

5. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract The tongue and oral mucosa are part of the digestive system, and all its problems inevitably affect them. In addition to dryness, unpleasant odor from the mouth and the appearance of a thick whitish or even gray coating on the tongue may be disturbing. The cause of this is most often chronic or acute gastritis, peptic ulcer of the stomach or duodenum, cholecystitis, pancreatitis, colitis.

What to do? The list goes on, so if dry mouth is accompanied by other unpleasant symptoms from the gastrointestinal tract, immediately consult a gastroenterologist! You will need to undergo an abdominal ultrasound, gastroscopy, blood, urine and stool tests.

Dysbacteriosis of the oral cavity

Against the background of decreased immunity, the balance of the microflora of the oral cavity may be disrupted, opportunistic bacteria will take the lead and, without encountering resistance, will begin to manifest their pathogenic properties. Fungi, mainly from the genus Candida, can also become troublemakers. Immune problems are most often caused by recent infectious or simply severe diseases, long-term use of antibiotics, and alcohol abuse. Not only the dry mouth is a concern, but also the appearance of a white coating on the tongue and mucous membranes, and bad breath. At the same time, the tongue becomes rough and coarse.

What to do? Contact your dentist, the doctor will prescribe local medications and refer you to a therapist to select general treatment.

Author:
Alexey Fedorov Published: September 22, 2021 Health magazine No. 7-8 2021 Magazine title: “Dry mouth”

What measures need to be taken

If dryness appears on the tongue and mouth, you need to consult a general practitioner , then tell in detail about the additional symptoms that are bothering you, the therapist will give you a referral to a gastroenterologist, endocrinologist or other doctor. Dentist help may be needed.

1. To alleviate the condition, you need to drink clean water instead of coffee, tea and other usual drinks.
2. You also need to drink during meals, avoid salty, spicy, and sweet foods.

Photo 2: In case of unpleasant sensations of dryness during a conversation, in places where it is not possible to drink water in a timely manner, stock up on candies and sugar-free chewing gum in advance. Source: flickr (Sebastien Michel).

How to get rid of dryness?

It is important to accurately determine its cause. Only an accurate diagnosis will help you choose the right treatment. At the first sign of dryness, do the following:

1. See a therapist. It will help clarify the situation.
2. Give up bad habits, in particular smoking.
3. Review your menu. If it contains a lot of spicy, salty, fried foods, replace it with healthier ones. Avoid bread, crackers, and nuts.
4. Drink more fluids. Ideally, this should be clean water, unboiled. Mineral water is also useful. Drink a glass of water half an hour before your meal to saturate your body with life-giving moisture.
5. Monitor the humidity in the room. If the air is dry, buy a humidifier.
6. It is useful to smear your lips with a moisturizing balm.
7. To remove unpleasant odor from your mouth, you can use chewing gum and mouthwash. But the reason still needs to be established.
8. You can buy tear or saliva substitutes at the pharmacy. They will help for a while.
9. Hot pepper activates the process of saliva production. It is useful to add it to food in small quantities.

https://youtu.be/mZKkoH3KiSI

As you can see, there are many diseases and conditions of the body that are accompanied by dry mouth. If this symptom does not go away, you should consult a doctor. Only he will accurately establish the causes and select the correct treatment.

Homeopathic treatment

Dental clinic No. 2

If you are in good health, have healthy teeth and gums, and take care of your oral hygiene, the most likely cause of bad breath is a bacterial coating on the back of your tongue.

The following procedure can be done once a day, preferably in the morning, however, if done in the evening, it will not only improve your morning breath, but will also make your bed partner much happier.

The first step in treating odor caused by bacterial coating on the tongue is simply to vigorously remove the plaque using a tongue scraper or an inverted spoon. In reality, you not only remove the mucous layer, but also give your tongue a haircut. It is necessary to scrape the upper surface of the tongue very carefully, trying to get as deep as possible, since the filiform papillae are located on a very distant part of the back of the tongue. If you run your finger across your tongue towards the throat, you will feel the grooved papillae of the tongue, which form a “V” shaped line on the back of the tongue. It is important to clean the surface of the tongue almost to these tubercles. The grooved papillae of the tongue themselves cannot be rubbed off. It is normal to feel a gag reflex during the tongue cleaning process, however, consistency pays off and this sensation will subside over time as you get used to it. The gag reflex is largely psychological and you will learn to overcome it. Remember, scrubbing should be vigorous enough, but not so vigorous that it causes pain and bleeding. Once you see what you've scraped off your tongue, you'll understand the potential for bad breath that lies within the papillae of your tongue.

Once you have cleaned your tongue, the second step in eliminating bad odor is to remove the VSCs and anaerobic bacteria that remain after cleaning. This can be easily achieved by gargling or treating the tongue with a 1.5 percent solution of hydrogen peroxide (available at any pharmacy). Hydrogen peroxide releases oxygen. This is why the solution bubbles when it comes into contact with bacteria or blood. The hydrogen peroxide you buy at the store is a 3 percent solution. Therefore, you need to dilute peroxide half and half with water to gargle, but you can use 3% hydrogen peroxide when cleaning your tongue. Vigorous scrubbing with hydrogen peroxide will help remove the bacterial layer while oxidizing the treated area.

The use of hydrogen peroxide leads to two simultaneous effects:

• The oxygen released by hydrogen peroxide reacts with VSCs, thus neutralizing them and effectively removing the chemicals directly responsible for bad breath.
• The oxygen released by hydrogen peroxide kills the anaerobic bacteria responsible for the production of VSCs. Hydrogen peroxide is cheap and very effective at neutralizing VSCs and removing anaerobic bacteria, but does not taste good, so you can use mouth rinses containing similar formulations to remove the cause of bad breath.

Causes

If we exclude everyday causes associated with mechanical damage to the mucous membrane of the tongue, swelling is almost always a symptom of other diseases. Therefore, you cannot delay visiting a doctor. The most common reasons are:

• Allergic reaction. Swelling can be caused by taking medications or foods that cause allergies. Typically, patients prone to allergies are aware of their problem. If you suspect allergic edema, you should consult a doctor. A severe allergic reaction can cause angioedema or angioedema. This condition develops rapidly, quickly spreading to the lips, cheeks, and larynx. The patient finds it difficult to breathe. In the most severe cases, angioedema can be fatal.
• Mononucleosis. A disease characterized by inflammation of the throat. Swelling of the tongue with mononucleosis is one of the accompanying symptoms.
• Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Edema develops against the background of colitis, enterocolitis, peptic ulcer, gastritis and other diseases. This reason is one of the most common.
• Hormonal disorders. For many diseases associated with hormonal imbalances, a swollen tongue is one of the symptoms.

Swelling of the tongue is not always a symptom of other diseases. Swelling often appears for everyday reasons:

• Bite.
• Burn.
• Mechanical damage (dentures, braces, poor-quality fillings, piercings, etc.).