The tongue is one of the strongest muscles in the human body. Due to this fact, it is almost impossible to overstrain the muscles of the tongue, but the mucous membrane is very sensitive to external influences. Harm can cause spicy and very hot food. In the case when the tongue starts to hurt like a furry one, but there are no good reasons for this, then this is a signal of concern and a reason to pay attention to he alth. If there is a problem that the tongue hurts (as if burned), and how to treat the disease, then you should immediately consult a doctor.
In medicine, there is a term for pain in the tongue, it is a disease of the mucous membrane or the tongue completely. The disease is called "glossalgia", along with it appear numbness, swelling and burning of the tongue. Most patients complain of a strong burning sensation of the tongue, they compare it with a burn. Basically, older people are at risk, as with age there are many problems with metabolism and excess weight. Glossalgia in rare cases is primary,more often it is attributed to injuries or signals disorders in the body.
Causes of pain
There are a lot of reasons why the tongue hurts as if burned (tip, root or whole):
- Injury due to injury. These include biting the tongue while eating, microtraumas that appear from poorly installed dentures. The consequence may be infection of the mucous membrane of the tongue.
- Inflammatory diseases. Often common diseases of the oral cavity is stomatitis or inflammation of the tongue. They appear after a viral infection, when the body is most weakened and vulnerable. Also, the disease can arise from non-compliance with the rules of personal hygiene and from long-term use of drugs that can lower the protective function.
- Disease of the digestive system will be with 100 percent certainty for those who say that the tongue hurts, as if burned and the plaque does not go away. These include all diseases of the gastrointestinal tract during which the main function is disturbed - the assimilation and digestion of food. When the disease occurs, symptoms occur: the tongue swells and hurts, and is also covered with a white or yellow coating.
- An allergic reaction can also manifest itself as a symptom when the tongue turns red and hurts as if burned. It can be triggered by a drug or food, alcohol and nicotine are not excluded. Tongue starts to hurt after using any of the above.
- Lack of vitamins and minerals. Deficiency of vitamins, iron andtrace elements are negatively displayed on the mucous membrane of the tongue, it can change color, increase and hurt. It is with a lack of something that there is a burning sensation of the tongue.
- Neuralgic diseases. Sometimes it is difficult to determine the disease of the tongue formed due to nerve disease. The most common disease is glossalgia, it appears from a strong fright, endocrine disease or psychological trauma. Due to a neurological disease, numbness, tingling, burning and pain of the tongue appear, and a person gets tired very quickly during a conversation.
- Oncology. One of the most common causes of pain is a malignant or benign tumor of the mouth. In this case, the tongue and throat hurt as if burned.
How it manifests itself
The most common causes of mechanical damage are seeds, fish bones, dentures, poorly processed fillings. From such microtraumas, redness and swelling do not always appear, sometimes there is ordinary pain.
When allergic reactions are formed, a burning sensation of the tongue is felt, while external changes do not occur. The same feeling comes from eating unripe or sour fruits.
In the case when a few days after the pain on the mucosa ulcers form or when a plaque appears on the tongue (or vice versa it becomes glossy), this signals inflammatory diseases. Inflammation begins from infection of small wounds on the gums, when the body is already weakened, especially due tostress.
From a long illness and a decrease in immunity with antibiotics, a fungus of the genus Candida appears in the oral cavity. Such a fungus is constantly in the oral cavity, but with any changes it is activated and becomes the cause of candidiasis. With a fungal infection in the mouth, there is a burning sensation, dryness, a white coating appears on the tongue and cheeks, itching is felt on the lips.
Diseases that cause change
If changes in the mucous membrane occur without external signs, then most likely this indicates the following diseases:
- neuroses;
- osteochondrosis;
- neurological nerves in the neck;
- diseases of the stomach;
- liver disease;
- diabetes;
- changes due to hormones;
- hypovitaminosis.
With such diseases, the sensations are different: from pain and burning to numbness and dryness of the mucous membrane.
Diagnosis
If the burning sensation and pain do not go away after a few days, you need to urgently go to the hospital so that they can determine the source of discomfort and prescribe effective treatment. To find out the reasons, you first need to do:
- Donate blood for tests.
- Measure blood sugar.
- Take a throat swab.
- Get x-ray or fluorography (if required).
When inflammation of the salivary glands, lymph nodes, oncological diseases occurs, the source is determined immediately, since they are accompanied by certainoutward signs. If other symptoms occur, then most likely this indicates gastritis, ulcers and other similar diseases of the digestive system and liver. Such diseases are characterized by the formation of plaque and unpleasant odor from the oral cavity, heartburn, and belching.
Stress
The consequence of psychological trauma, disorders, stress is excessive dryness of the mucous membrane, and the salivary fluid changes, and it leads to an increase in the sensitivity of the tongue. Patients, as a rule, begin to worry about burning at the tip or on the sides of the tongue, which is accompanied by numbness and frequent tingling. Provoked symptoms appear out of nowhere and go away on their own without any intervention. It is worth noting that with neurological diseases of the neck, pain is often directed just to the oral cavity and tongue. Sometimes it is not easy to pinpoint such a relationship, so the patient may be asked to undergo additional studies.
Avitaminosis
Lack of vitamins, folic acid, iron and other elements can cause tongue pain, in which the mucosa can change color and become like after a burn. To restore these elements, simply eating foods containing the right substances is not enough. Basically, for complete replenishment, you will need to undergo a course of treatment with injections and the use of drugs that can raise the level of the missing elements.
Hormones
Hormone use,as well as endocrine diseases cause a burning sensation of the tongue. Often in the field of view are older women in whom menopause begins. Burning of the oral cavity also appears in diabetes mellitus with increased dryness.
First Aid
There are cases when the pain of the tongue is provoked by minor injuries, therefore, in order to alleviate the condition and relieve pain, as an option, smear the area that is damaged with Lugol's solution. In addition to this method, constant rinsing of the oral cavity with a solution of "Furacilin" or "Chlorhexidine" is excellent, you can also prepare a decoction based on chamomile or sage yourself. These solutions are well suited for both treatment and prevention of oral diseases. When the pain is unbearable, it can be eliminated with painkillers such as Paracetamol or Ketanol. Also able to relieve pain and anesthetics, for example, "Anestezin". When the cause of pain is nervous tension, in these cases, sedative preparations such as tincture of valerian, motherwort, "Glycine" or herbal tea with herbs are well suited.
Tongue hurts as if burned. How to treat?
There are situations when the tongue starts to hurt badly, as if burned. With such symptoms, it is usually difficult for a person to talk for a long time and eat normally. The first thing the patient should do is to seekqualified care to the hospital to prevent the advanced stage of the disease. In this case, only a specialist will be able to determine the degree of the disease and prescribe effective treatment, having carried out all the necessary tests and examinations.
When the tongue and palate hurts (as if burned) due to injuries, an unsuccessful prosthesis or from a fragment of enamel, then in order not to aggravate the situation, it is necessary to rinse your mouth very often, it is best to use antiseptic solutions as a rinse, also try to avoid getting new injuries while eating or talking.
Remove causes
If the tongue hurts (as if the tip was burned) occasionally or not very much, you can try to deal with the problem yourself, all you need to do is to know the cause of the pain, then try one of the suggested options:
- With numbness and pain, the source of which is stress or nervous strain, valerian will help, as well as tincture of motherwort or peony.
- When oral pathology is the cause, rinsing will be helpful. For rinse aid, you can use a prepared solution based on chamomile, sage, furacilin and any other antiseptics.
- If the pain is very disturbing or distracting, you can try to use tranquilizers ("Ketonol", "Paracetamol", "Phenazepam") or painkillers.
- Anesthetics will help eliminate all discomfort, these include: Anestezin, a solution of trimecaine, citral in peach oil;
- When causeconditions become deficient, for example, beriberi or anemia, a course of taking vitamins and minerals will help to cope with pain.
Often, pain in the tongue signals a specific disease, the symptoms that appear in pathologies only confirm this. Based on this, we can conclude that it is necessary to treat a specific disease, and not all at once, since subsequently there will be no result.
Other drugs
Whatever it was, in any case, it is very important to always have such drugs at hand: valerian, bromine, B vitamins, painkillers. When the source of the disease is iron deficiency, doctors prescribe a course of treatment: Ferrum Lekom, Ferrokalem, Hemostimulin. For self-treatment, it is advised to make baths using an oil solution ("Citral", "Trimekain" or "Anastezin"). In addition, lubrication with a solution of retinol is prescribed. Treatment with these drugs helps to reduce salivation and moisturize parched mucous membranes of the tongue. Also, thanks to such treatment, it is possible to temporarily eliminate the formation of glossalgia, at least until the causes of the disease are established and the method of treatment is determined.
