Sore throat and tongue is one of the most unpleasant. Discomfort in the mouth does not allow a person to freely speak and eat. To cope with this symptom, you must determine the primary cause. It’s best not to delay contacting a doctor, especially if the pain occurs for an incomprehensible reason.
Remember: in order to completely get rid of discomfort, you need to find out their origin, and then eliminate it. When a person has a sore tongue, this can indicate a variety of ailments and problems: from external injuries to serious diseases of internal organs. Therefore, special attention should be paid to the diagnosis and subsequent treatment.
The role of the tongue in the body
It is difficult to overestimate the value of the strongest organ in accordance with the size. Firstly, the language performs speech functions, allows us to communicate with other people. Secondly, each meal begins with it, and thanks to this we are able to perceive taste sensations. Thirdly, the function of swallowing food also lies with the body in question.
Now a little about the structure. The basis of the tongue is muscle tissue, which is covered with a mucous membrane. Receptors are located on the surface. They are a kind of papillae, with which we can distinguish the taste of food and enjoy the most delicious dishes. Therefore, if there is a sore throat, a sore tongue, then an unpleasant sensation immediately arises.
As soon as the first signs appear, you need to contact a specialist for help. It is best to choose one of three doctors: a dentist, otolaryngologist or therapist. Next, you will already be referred to the right doctor for further examination and diagnosis.
Main reasons. Inflammation
This refers to viral infectious diseases such as the common cold. In this case, the lymph nodes located under the tongue become inflamed and enlarged, while there are difficulties in swallowing, and constant unpleasant sensations are observed. If a person has a root pain in the tongue, then with a greater degree of probability it can be argued that this is purulent tonsillitis. With this ailment, it is also painful to swallow.
If a purulent sore throat is found, you should rather consult a doctor for prescribing treatment. It is worth noting that the methods of traditional medicine are powerless here, and when used, the situation can only worsen. Full-fledged therapy in this case is only medication. Together with the prescribed medications, it is recommended to rinse your mouth with a sage broth.
If the patient has a white tongue and it hurts, then this is most likely stomatitis. It is often found in newborns and young people. The disease is white sores that pinch and cause discomfort.
External damage
Mechanical wounds are very often observed in people who complain that the tongue hurts. There are no restrictions: both the tip and the base of the strongest organ can be damaged. Injuries result from eating and more. For example, if the food is too hot, then you can burn your tongue. The burn often passes by itself, unless, of course, the severity of the wound is not very high.
In addition, damage may occur if the tooth is improperly filled. Therefore, if after admission to the dentist there is pain in the tongue, do not be surprised. The organ is also damaged on our teeth, especially when the incisors are too sharp. Improper bite can cause pain. This is not all the reasons for which a wound occurs. You need to remember your own care and accuracy in order to avoid mechanical damage.
Piercings
In theory, piercing also belongs to the category of external damage. However, let's talk about it separately. There are people who even hate the idea of piercing. But let's imagine that you put an earring in your tongue and it started to hurt. This is absolutely natural. After all, it is a living organ that causes discomfort when damaged. But what if the pain persists for a week, and the tongue becomes inflamed and swollen?
The cause of this situation may be an infection brought along with an earring, or a metal that does not fit the body. These are far from jokes, and piercing this organ can be detrimental to health. If you decide to have a piercing, trust a professional to avoid such cases. It is worth noting that it is advisable to make a puncture in the center of the tongue, away from the nerve endings, so the wound will heal faster.
Allergy
Why does the tongue hurt? One of the most common causes is an allergic reaction to something. Most often, the body does not accept certain foods. If a person nevertheless consumes them, then this leads to painful sensations in the oral cavity. In addition, an allergic reaction may occur to smoking, medications, etc.
As for the fight against this disease, then everything is simple. Usually a complete rejection of pathogens helps. If this is a food product, then try not to eat it. All symptoms should go away by themselves. When such a situation arises, the tongue often hurts from the side. Sometimes, in addition to this symptom, a person develops stomatitis or a fungus in the oral cavity. Symptoms are detected immediately after using the allergen: in most cases, it is inflammation and itching.
Neuralgic diseases
Here we are talking about inflammation of the nerve endings, as a result of which the patient has a sore tongue. The reasons can be very diverse: from commonplace stress to problems with internal organs. It is worth noting that it is rather difficult to identify specific violations. In this situation, you can not do without the help of a qualified specialist.
Speaking of neuralgia, the term “glossalgia” is often referred to. It characterizes pain in the oral cavity when the tongue hurts or the area near the lips. The reasons in most cases are nervous breakdowns, dental problems, endocrine disorders. Of course, the pain is localized in a certain place, and first of all it is necessary to identify this area.
As for neuralgic diseases, it is rather difficult to detect them. Usually, when pain occurs in the area of the tongue, a person goes to the dentist. The doctor does not find the problem and sends to a neurologist. And here a full-fledged study is already beginning. No need to neglect your health, the sooner you are diagnosed, the faster you can start treatment.
Why does the tip of the tongue hurt?
As already noted, the localization of discomfort does not depend on the causes of pain. This can be both mechanical damage and allergies. It is difficult to guess, therefore, a diagnosis should be made. When the tip of the tongue hurts, it is especially unpleasant, since it constantly touches the teeth. Because of this, sensations intensify. In addition, smoking, inflammatory and infectious processes can also cause pain.
Self-medication is not worth it. It is better to immediately contact a specialist. In this case, choose between the dentist, therapist and endocrinologist. After the examination, the attending physician will prescribe therapy. Treatment depends entirely on the cause of the pain.
When to visit a doctor?
If you have a sore tongue and sore throat, do not immediately panic. Often this is due to the usual hypothermia of the body, that is, a cold. Another thing is that even the simplest disease can give a complication. Here you need to look at the situation. Nevertheless, it is not recommended to try to cure the disease yourself. Going to the doctor will give much more fruit.
A person who has a sore throat and tongue goes to the pharmacy, buys local anesthetics, which are designed to drown out the symptoms. Thus, the manifestations of discomfort are reduced, but the problem is not solved. The disease eventually becomes chronic and, when the immune system is weakened, flares up again. Relapse in young children is especially dangerous. When the first symptoms of a cold appear, you need to immediately eliminate it, until the disease has passed to a more serious stage.
In no case can complications be allowed. After all, the inflammatory processes of the nasopharynx will lead to laryngitis or pharyngitis. These diseases have a very negative effect on the body, interfering with the supply of oxygen. In the worst case, there may be strangulation.
Diagnostics
There are many reasons that lead to pain in the oral cavity. Without a qualified specialist, you can only cope if the damage is mechanical in nature and is not serious. Then the wound itself will heal in a few days, if there are no complications.
In other cases, when the tongue hurts, you must consult a doctor. First of all, you should contact your dentist. After all, it is he who deals with the problems of the oral cavity. Sometimes even a simple visual examination is enough to make a diagnosis. This works when damage has occurred as a result of a dental defect or braces system. It is quite simple externally to identify inflammatory processes and stomatitis.
If the obvious options are not suitable, then the doctor prescribes a full examination, including with the involvement of other specialists. Typically, the patient should visit a therapist, dermatologist, surgeon and otolaryngologist. Each specialist will prescribe the necessary tests, based on the results of which a joint diagnosis is made.
Traditional treatment
Quite often, patients come to the dentist with the following complaints: it hurts under the tongue, discomfort in the oral cavity, etc. The doctor makes a diagnosis, and then prescribes treatment. Therapy is completely dependent on the cause of the disease.
For example, if the wound has arisen as a result of permanent damage with sharp tips of the teeth, then it is necessary to eliminate the dental defect and prescribe supportive treatment. If glossitis or stomatitis is detected, a number of medications are used, as well as sprays aimed at restoring the mucous membrane.
In the case when the tongue hurts due to a disease of the internal organ, first you need to deal with the root cause. And the unpleasant sensation will go away by itself. With allergies, it is necessary to ensure the rejection of the use of the pathogen.
Folk therapy
As for unconventional methods of treatment, it is difficult to determine their effectiveness. Traditional medicine in this case is a supporting factor in the main treatment. Use it only after consultation with your doctor to avoid problems.
Some methods that are considered the most effective:
- rinsing the mouth with a solution of salt and soda;
- holding sea buckthorn oil in the mouth without swallowing;
- rinsing the mouth with decoctions of mint, sage, etc.
Prevention
It is no secret that any disease is easier to prevent than to deal with its treatment later. If you follow the simple rules of prevention, then you will minimize the risk of the symptom of "sore tongue." According to statistics, 80% of discomfort occurs as a result of trauma to the tongue or infectious processes in the oral cavity. In order to prevent such a development of events, you should carefully monitor the condition of the teeth, and also visit the dentist in a timely manner.
We must not forget about the rules of hygiene. Brushing your teeth is a must for every person. In the morning and in the evening it is necessary to brush your teeth to prevent infection. If the patient suffers from a chronic disease, which leads to pain in the tongue, doctors recommend that in this situation, gargle several times a day with a solution of furatsilina or sea salt.
Thus, taking into account all these recommendations that are not difficult to implement, you can protect yourself from possible injuries and diseases of the oral cavity.