Many at least once in their life have encountered such a thing as corn on the tongue. Feeling is not the most pleasant. Despite the fact that human saliva is sterile, such injuries heal for a long time. Everyone should know how to treat and what to do with corns in the tongue.
What represents
In medical terminology, a pip or corn is called glossitis. This is an inflammatory disease of tissue fibers of the receptor organ (tongue) caused by the formation of cracks, mechanical damage, wounds or burns on the mucous tissues of the organ where the infection penetrates.
In other words, any cuts on the tongue contribute to the active penetration of bacteria into them, which instantly causes inflammation, redness and creates great discomfort.
Glossitis is one of the most common pathologies of the oral cavity. At high risk are children, especially small children, under the age of 5 years. It is they who pull dirty toys and hands into their mouths, thereby allowing bacteria to penetrate the mucous tissues and infect them.
Causes
As already mentioned, glossitis occurs as a result of damage to the integrity of the soft tissues of the receptor organ. But not only this can be the cause.
Quite often, corn in the tongue does not occur as a separate disease, but indicates the presence of more serious pathologies of the body.
There is a list of factors that can to some extent affect the development of glossitis. So, the main causes of corns in the language are as follows:
- Injuries to the mucous tissue and fibers of the tongue. This can be cuts with tableware, sharp edges of candies or sucking sweets, biting the tongue, piercing with fish bone, damage to the shell from seeds, stale food (bagels, crackers, bread rolls, etc.).
- Prolonged sucking of candies also leads to damage to the mucosa, because such products cause tissue irritation.
- Irritation of the mucosa as a result of eating spicy, spicy and very salty foods.
- Any allergic reaction to any of the food products can cause swelling of the tongue, which develops into an infectious inflammation.
- Carbonated drinks, concentrated juices, sweet water. All these products contain a large amount of citric acid, which in large concentrations can burn the mucous tissues of the oral cavity. Especially careful to consume alkaline water.
- Drinking alcohol because alcohol corrodes soft tissues.
- Smoking. Nicotine contained in tobacco, 30% consists of heavy salts, which burn the mucous tissues.
- Very often, various types of dental diseases, such as periodontitis, stomatitis or gingivitis, can become the cause of a callus in the tongue.
- Oxidative reactions in the mouth resulting from the installation of braces or plates made of low-quality metals.
- Lack of vitamins, in particular, lack of protein and amino acids.
- Acute diseases of the liver, gall bladder, pancreas.
- Poor oral hygiene. Everyone brushes their teeth at least twice a day, but you should not forget about the language. The plaque that accumulates on it indicates contamination of the pores in which the remains of food are clogged.
- Ulcers in the tongue also occur as a concomitant symptom in diseases such as scarlet fever, measles, rubella, syphilis.
- Invasion caused by worms and other intestinal parasites.
Quite often, small pimples on the tongue can appear with acute respiratory diseases, such as purulent tonsillitis.
It should be remembered that the tipun in the tongue is the cause of a condition such as pain, nervousness, and it must be treated regardless of origin.
Symptoms
The most important thing is to be able to distinguish ordinary glossitis from inflammation caused by various diseases. At the first signs of pathology, it is recommended to consult a doctor.
Among the main symptoms of corns in the tongue can be noted:
- changes in the color of the tongue, it can become brighter (rich in red or crimson) or, conversely, fade, changing color to white-pink;
- the formation of a large amount of plaque, causing an unpleasant aftertaste and sensation in the mouth;
- small spots that appear in a specific area or throughout the tongue;
- swelling of the tip of the tongue, in which the pores are clearly visible, the surface looks loose;
- tissue compaction, coarsening, the appearance of small blisters;
- corn can have a different shape - it happens in the form of a purulent abscess, plaque, a small tissue tightening, inflammation;
- the tongue may dry out and crack;
- hardened tissues cause discomfort, especially when chewing food, there is a sharp pain and burning sensation.
Even the slightest changes in the mucous tissues and fibers of the tongue, which are invisible to the naked eye, are clearly noticeable, therefore, violations will become known from the very beginning.
Diagnostics
As mentioned earlier, at the first signs of inflammation of the mucous membranes of the oral cavity, you need to contact a therapist who can determine the severity of the disease and prescribe additional examinations by doctors with a narrower profile.
As a rule, the diagnosis of glossitis consists of the following steps:
- General examination by a general practitioner.
- Examination of the oral cavity and ENT organs by an otolaryngologist.
- Analysis of saliva.
- Analysis of scraping plaque and saliva from the site of inflammation.
- Analysis of pus in the presence of purulent inflammation.
- If necessary, general and advanced (biochemistry) blood tests can be performed.
As a rule, all of the above diagnostic methods are enough to determine the root causes of the formation of glossitis. A study of saliva and scrapings with pus will help determine the etiology of the disease and establish what caused it - a virus or an ordinary infection.
If the problem lies deeper, blood tests will show deviations from the norm for certain indicators, which will become the basis for a further, more detailed examination.
Treatment
There are various ways to cure a tip in the tongue. Therapy for glossitis depends on the nature of its origin and the severity of the disease.
As a rule, doctors resort to complex therapy, including conservative medication, following a certain diet. And also apply the methods of traditional medicine.
Food
First of all, it is necessary to remove the load from the tongue so that the disease does not worsen. To do this, use a special diet that restricts the use of salty, sweet, pepper and spicy foods, excludes alcohol, carbonated drinks, juices, various sauces, ketchup and mayonnaise from the diet.
The food should be soft, easy to chew, without touching the inflamed areas. It can be mashed potatoes, soy pudding, chicken stock, fruit yogurts.
If the cause of the callus has become an infection, the use of dairy products is strictly prohibited. The bacteria contained in it create a favorable environment for the development of pathogenic organisms, which can aggravate the situation and slow down the treatment process.
Care
If a tipun appeared in the tongue, not everyone knows how to get rid of the cause of the callus. Firstly, you need a high-quality cleansing of the oral cavity. After each meal, rinse your mouth with plain water to remove food debris. Secondly, you should brush your teeth at least twice a day.
Drug treatment
To eliminate pain, discomfort and relieve inflammation, doctors recommend the use of painkillers, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Ibuprofen, Ledocaine, Drotaverin.
With severe damage, drugs are prescribed that accelerate the recovery of mucous tissues. For example, Glutamine, Imudon.
To eliminate the infection, you must regularly rinse your mouth every 2 hours. For this, special solutions are used - “Furacilin”, “Chlorhexodine”, “Hexoral”.
Folk remedies
If the inflammation is minor, many recommend treating tipun in the tongue at home with both traditional medicine and pharmacy counterparts.
It will best remove inflammation and disinfect the oral cavity with a decoction of chamomile. Infusion of oak bark will help heal ulcers and cuts, if any.
In pharmacies, you can also buy ready-made concentrates of celandine, calendula, nettle or St. John's wort for rinsing the mouth. Small pustules are recommended to be lubricated with sea buckthorn oil or rose hip oil.