dental disorders
Tongue Discomfort
Introduction
Tongue discomfort includes both pain and burning sensations, often caused by irritation. (See also table Oral Findings in Systemic Disorders in topic The most common causes of tongue discomfort are Certain foods, especially acidic ones (eg, pineapple) Certain ingredients in toothpaste, mouthwash, candy, or gum Certain drugs (commonly, those that cause dry mouth: Treatment , Accidental trauma to tongue during mastication or due to nocturnal Bruxism , or trauma from broken restorations or sharp teeth Other causes of tongue discomfort include Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis None Atrophic glossitis Burning Mouth Syndrome (glossodynia) Candidiasis (Mucocutaneous) (thrush) Submandibular Space Infection (Ludwig's angina): involves sublingual, submandibular and submental spaces and can cause elevation of tongue. Celiac Disease (tongue is most commonly affected oral site, presents as painful burning sensation) Atrophic glossitis sometimes causes a burning sensation of the tongue; it has many causes, including Iron Deficiency or Evaluation of tongue discomfort must first exclude Submandibular Space Infection , which is life-threatening due to potential airway obstruction. Many other causes, such as a sharp tooth edge or Tongue discomfort not caused by infection is usually treated by eliminating the cause (eg, changing brands of toothpaste, particularly to a brand that does not contain sodium lauryl sulfate), avoiding irritating/acidic/spicy foods, or having a sharp or broken tooth repaired. Warm salt-water rinses may help. Identified underlying conditions are treated. 