Teeth imprints on the tongue: why they appear and what to do

Why do teeth marks appear on the tongue and what to do about it?

If you notice teeth marks on your tongue, then this symptom should alert you. We must not forget that the tongue is a mirror of the body. It is through this organ that signals about various pathologies and diseases that require treatment can be received. We will talk about the most common of them in our article today.

Malocclusion

If teeth marks and imprints on the sides appear on a muscular organ with enviable frequency, then we can assume that bite pathologies are to blame. Incorrect occlusion, displacement of the jaws and their asymmetrical arrangement relative to each other, crooked and crowded elements in the oral cavity are prerequisites for the emergence of a problem.

On a note! Depending on the type of pathology, tooth marks can appear along the edges of the tongue, at the tip, or at the root. The problem appears for the reason that when the jaws close, the muscular organ involuntarily tries to take a position corresponding to the location of the dentition.

When a person has an incorrect bite, the process of chewing food is disrupted, speech is difficult, the enamel is quickly erased, and the height of the crowns decreases. In this regard, situations arise when not only strong teeth marks appear on the tongue, but also chronic injuries in the oral cavity, ulcers and wounds caused by biting the mucous membrane and the muscular organ itself.

Etiology - causes of tongue cancer

The main cause of tumors on the tongue, like any other cancer, is a genetic malfunction in the cells.

In this case, these are epithelial cells - the tissue that forms the mucosa. Several main factors contributing to this process have been identified:

Exposure to carcinogens. A huge amount of harmful substances is contained in cigarette smoke and chewing mixtures (nasvay, betel). It is in smokers and nasal users that cancer of this localization is most often diagnosed, and in men it is detected 3 times more often than in women. Alcohol increases the impact of carcinogens.
Occupational hazards. The incidence of tongue cancer in people employed in hazardous industries is much higher. Salts of heavy metals (mercury, lead), asbestos, and petroleum products can also be classified as carcinogens by their nature.
Photo: neoplasm on the tongue
Impact of viruses. Recent studies have proven a direct link between chronic viral infection and the incidence of cancer. Human papillomavirus, herpes simplex virus and HIV are capable of transforming the genome of cells, turning them into cancerous ones. According to statistics, up to 70% of women are carriers of HPV. The mechanism of oncogenic effects of viruses is associated with their ability to suppress antitumor genes.
Chronic oral injuries. They may be associated with improper installation of dentures, improper treatment of fillings, or chronic biting of the mucous membrane.

Long-term exposure to these factors on the mucosa is accompanied by damage to the DNA structure of epithelial cells. As a result, papillary hyperplasia (excessive growth) develops, which looks like a thickening at the sides, or dysplasia (improper development) of the mucous membrane.

Further exposure to these causes leads to the development of precancerous conditions: leukoplakia, Bowen's disease, hyperkeratosis and papillomas. Subsequently, these conditions transform into oncology.

Main non-dental causes

Tongue diseases

If you notice an enlarged tongue with teeth marks in yourself or your child, then you should look for the problem in inflammation of the muscle organ. Often the cause of the pathology is a disease such as glossitis. There are many types of glossitis: desquamative, allergic, herpetic, ulcerative, hypertrophic, folded - read in detail about all types and forms in the feature article on the website.

When glossitis appears, other characteristic symptoms usually occur, in addition to the fact that tooth marks remain on the tongue:

burning and itching of the muscle organ,
redness, the appearance of plaque of different shades,
pain and discomfort when eating food, when communicating with others,
change in relief and structure: formation of cracks, ulcers, grooves, spots, erosions.

The causes of glossitis are very diverse: injuries, weak immunity, active reproduction of viruses and bacteria in the oral cavity, allergic reactions to personal hygiene products, medications and food.

Xerostomia (dry mouth)

A swollen tongue with teeth marks is often noticed by people who have impaired normal salivation. Xerostomia can occur in older people, as well as in those who take various medications for a long time. In some cases, the pathology is associated with dysfunction and inflammation of the salivary glands, autoimmune diseases (for example, Sjogren's syndrome), and hormonal disorders.

Another reason is dehydration after diseases accompanied by intoxication and high body temperature (poisoning, sore throat, influenza, ARVI and many others). Xerostomia affects people with diabetes, as well as those who frequently smoke and drink alcohol.

On a note! Sometimes dry mouth is normal. For example, the rate of salivation naturally decreases at night, which is why many people notice bad breath and teeth marks on the tongue after sleep. The problem can also appear after exhausting physical activity, sports, prolonged stay in stuffy rooms and in the open sun.

With a lack of saliva, the muscular organ becomes dry, may turn red, swell and increase in size, after which imprints appear on it and cracks appear. There are other signs of xerostomia:

halitosis: bad breath,
viscous and thick saliva,
difficulty chewing and swallowing dry food,
thirst.

If the problem of chronic xerostomia is not addressed, caries will progress, as well as other dental diseases (erosions, gingivitis and periodontitis, candidiasis). After all, the lack of a sufficient amount of saliva leads to the active proliferation of bacteria in the oral cavity and increased accumulation of plaque on the enamel, gums, and also under the gums.

Nervous disorders and stress

Teeth imprints on the sides of the tongue may indicate excessive nervous excitability and that the person has recently been in a stressful or conflict situation, experienced severe psycho-emotional shock, or is in a depressed state. Under nervous overload, you can involuntarily clench your jaws, squeeze the muscular organ between the lower and upper jaws, bite it, after which marks appear on its surface.

In rare cases, the problem indicates neurological disorders and neuroses, epileptic seizures in which a person cannot control himself. But then the patient not only bites a muscle organ, but can severely injure it, disrupt the integrity of the mucous membrane and tissue covering it, and cause bleeding.

Malfunction of the hypoglossal nerve

When an organ is displaced and occupies an unusual location for it, then teeth marks appear on it, as in the photo. Such an unpleasant phenomenon may be associated with pathological damage to the hypoglossal nerve resulting from a massive stroke or multiple sclerosis.

Pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract

A dense plaque of white, yellow or brown color appears, and after closing the jaws, tooth marks remain on the tongue if there is any disease of the gastrointestinal tract: gastritis, ulcers, colitis, pancreatitis, dysbacteriosis, acidity disorders.

Usually, with these pathologies, the patient is accompanied by halitosis, and plaque cannot be permanently removed with a brush and paste, since it constantly accumulates again. There are other characteristic symptoms of gastrointestinal pathologies: bloating, pain, stool disturbances, nausea, heaviness in the abdomen.

Endocrine system dysfunction

If a muscular organ has increased in size and swollen, and there are imprints of chewing teeth on it, then what does this mean? Perhaps an advanced stage of hypothyroidism, when the thyroid gland does not secrete enough hormones. Patients with this disease usually notice not only swelling of the muscle organ, but also swelling of the face and neck. Their hair begins to grow and fall out, their nails peel, their diction is impaired, their blood pressure and pulse rise, arrhythmia occurs, and their voice becomes hoarse.

Acute deficiency of vitamin B3 and nicotinic acid

Due to the lack of these substances in the body, a rare form of vitamin deficiency develops, which doctors call pellagra. The disease is quite rare, because vitamin B3, as well as nicotinic acid, are contained in almost all products that we, one way or another, consume: eggs, milk, all types of meat, liver, fish, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, wheat. Experts believe that the pathology mainly occurs in people from disadvantaged environments and those who abuse alcohol.

With pellagra, the muscle organ swells, and therefore teeth marks periodically appear on the tip of the tongue or on its sides. There is a feeling of discomfort and burning in the mouth, the mucous membranes and gums itch, hurt, and itch. This disease brings with it many others: dementia, dermatitis, nervous disorders, paralysis of the limbs, dysfunction of the cardiovascular system.

Important! Teeth imprints on the tongue may indicate various diseases: hemolytic anemia[1], scarlet fever, cancer, tuberculosis, HIV. A swollen muscle organ on which imprints remain is sometimes a consequence of acute allergic reactions and Quincke's edema.

Medical Internet conferences

Scientific supervisors: associate, Ph.D. Petrova A.P., ass. Venatovskaya N.V.

Relevance. All over the world, there is an annual increase in the number of people suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and hepatobiliary system [5]. The overall morbidity rate of the population of the Russian Federation in the class “Diseases of the digestive organs” increased from 99 per 1000 population in 1996 to 112 per 1000 population in 2010 [2,8]. At the same time, early diagnosis of these diseases is currently a priority medical and social task due to the fact that in the absence of timely treatment they often develop into more severe, chronic, incurable forms. Therefore, assessment of the general patterns of structural and functional reorganization of various parts of the digestive tract when pathological processes occur in them has great diagnostic and prognostic significance [1,6,13]. As you know, the oral cavity is a kind of mirror of the body. Changes in it reflect the patterns of the pathogenesis of systemic pathology and are caused by the etiological, pathogenetic, morphological and functional integration of all systems of the human body [14]. The results of numerous clinical studies in this area indicate that when the function of the gastrointestinal tract organs is impaired, damage to the oral mucosa is simultaneously observed, and there is also a risk of an unfavorable course of the existing chronic inflammatory process [4,10,18]. This relationship is explained by their anatomical and physiological proximity, common innervation and humoral regulation [11]. Therefore, knowledge of the characteristic pattern of manifestations of certain general somatic diseases in the oral cavity, in particular gastrointestinal diseases, and the ability to diagnose pathology is the most important professional quality of a dentist. This would greatly help in identifying systemic diseases at their earliest stages so that the patient can be referred immediately to an appropriate specialist.

Purpose: to find out whether there is a correlation between diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and their indirect manifestations on the oral mucosa.

Tasks:

1) study the anatomical and physiological structure of the oral mucosa, as well as identify similarities with the structure of the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract;

2) determine which symptoms are more often observed in the oral cavity in patients with concomitant pathology of the digestive organs;

3) establish the relationship between changes in the oral cavity and specific gastrointestinal diseases;

4) identify the complex of morpho-functional disorders in the oral cavity characteristic of gastritis and gastric ulcer.

Materials and methods. An examination of the oral cavity of patients from the gastroenterology department who were undergoing treatment at the Road Clinical Hospital in the city of Saratov was carried out. The study involved a group of people with gastritis and gastric ulcer, consisting of 19 people aged from 43 to 66 years, of which 15 were men and 4 women. A literary review of periodicals, scientific papers, and library sources in Russian and English on the topic of diagnosing pathology of the gastrointestinal tract in the oral cavity was also carried out, and some clinical studies in this area were analyzed.

Results and discussion. The oral mucosa is a complexly organized system that has its own distinctive features. It consists of the following components:

1) multilayered squamous epithelium, in which several layers are distinguished: basal, spinous and, in the area of the hard palate, gums, cheeks along the line of closure of the teeth, granular and horny;

2) own layer;

3) submucosa (with the exception of the mucous membrane of the tongue, gums and hard palate).

The blood supply to the oral cavity is carried out mainly by the maxillary artery, which gives off the following branches: the inferior alveolar artery, the buccal artery, the posterior superior alveolar artery, the infraorbital, and the descending palatine. The veins accompany the arteries and flow into the internal jugular vein system. The outflow of lymph is carried out into the regional lymph nodes: mental and submandibular. Innervation of the oral cavity is provided by the II and III branches of the trigeminal nerve, as well as by the branches of the nasopalatine, buccal, lingual, glossopharyngeal and vagus nerves.

SOPR functions:

1) secretory;

2) buffer;

3) barrier (the ability of the epithelium of the oral mucosa to keratinize, immune protection of the mucous membrane);

4) reflexogenic;

5) selective permeability;

6) regenerative.

Most often, changes in the mucous membranes are nothing more than a reflection of the internal problems of the whole organism. The oral mucosa shows early signs of many infectious and non-infectious, acute and chronic, specific and nonspecific processes [12]. Quite pronounced changes in the oral cavity are observed, in particular, in pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract. In patients with diseases of the oral mucosa, diseases of the digestive organs are diagnosed in 75% of cases [15]. It is worth noting that the relationships studied in this article are due to the morphofunctional similarity between the oral mucosa and the gastrointestinal tract.

It is known that the receptor field of the mucous membrane reflexively affects the underlying parts of the digestive tract. However, there is also an inverse relationship. The oral mucosa is an effector field of the reverse influence of “pathological” reflexes from a number of internal organs [9]. At the same time, symptoms in the oral cavity allow for early diagnosis of this pathology even before the development of severe manifest forms. Studies of the initial part of the digestive tract with concomitant gastrointestinal pathology conducted by clinicians have shown that changes in the oral mucosa, as well as their severity, are closely related to the form, severity and duration of the underlying disease [7,16]. Moreover, certain pathological changes can be observed in almost all structures of the oral cavity. Patients with concomitant pathology of the gastrointestinal tract may complain of pain, itching and burning of the tongue, dysgeusia in the form of a sour or bitter taste in the mouth. Objective symptoms include: 1) coating on the tongue; 2) violation of the relief of the tongue; 3) swelling of the mucous membranes and tongue; 4) paresthesia; 5) ulcerative lesions of the oral mucosa; 6) change in color of the mucous membrane.

Tongue disorders rank first in terms of occurrence in gastrointestinal pathologies. Often these changes are noticed by patients themselves. The appearance of the tongue has significant diagnostic value, since it may indicate a hidden gastrointestinal pathology. Most often, plaque is found on the tongue, the severity of which depends on various reasons. The state of the language matters here. Normally, as well as with hypertrophy of the papillae of the tongue, the plaque is dense and quite pronounced. With papillary atrophy, on the contrary, it is absent or insignificant. The reason for the formation of plaque is a disruption of the physiological process of keratinization and desquamation of the epithelium of the oral mucosa, which is observed in pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, the severity of self-cleaning processes, the composition of the microbial flora and the hygienic status of the oral cavity undoubtedly also play a role.

Plaque on the tongue is usually found with gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers, enterocolitis, and gastric neoplasms. Moreover, during an exacerbation, it is pronounced and covers the entire back of the tongue or mainly its posterior sections. The color of the plaque is grayish-white, but under the influence of pigment-forming microorganisms, food chromogens, and medications, it can take on a different color. However, during the period of remission or during the treatment of the underlying disease, it is possible to completely free the tongue from plaque. Subjective sensations are often not observed, but with an abundant, dense coating, patients note a feeling of awkwardness and dullness of taste perception. It should be noted that plaque can also be detected in other diseases, in particular infectious ones, as well as in healthy people in the morning.

The second most common symptom of diseases of the digestive system is a disorder in the papillary apparatus of the tongue. In persons with hyperacid gastritis, hyperplastic glossitis is observed, in which the papillae are well defined, the tongue is covered with a dense coating and is somewhat swollen. In patients with gastric and duodenal ulcers, only the fungiform papillae hypertrophy, which rise above the surface in the form of bright red dotted formations. Hypoplastic glossitis is manifested by atrophic changes in the papillae, absence of plaque, and the size of the tongue is slightly smaller than average. With pronounced atrophy of the papillae, the tongue takes on a “varnished” appearance, which is often observed with gastritis, peptic ulcers and gastroenteritis. In this case, atrophy of the papillae of the tongue causes a number of subjective sensations in the patient: burning, tingling, feeling of awkwardness, pain when eating. Along with trophic disorders, impaired absorption of vitamins, their breakdown in the intestines, as well as reduced synthesis of vitamins B1, B2 and PP play a significant role in the pathogenesis of the described changes.

Also, with gastrointestinal diseases, patients experience swelling of the tongue and mucous membranes. This condition often does not cause suffering to the patient and is diagnosed by a doctor accidentally during a routine examination of the oral cavity. However, with severe swelling, patients note a feeling of awkwardness, an increase in the size of the tongue, and biting of the cheeks and tongue. Upon examination, tooth marks are revealed on the mucous membranes of the cheeks and tongue. In patients with concomitant pathology of the gastrointestinal tract, edema is confirmed by the McClure-Aldrich blister test, which also helps to identify sick individuals without visible edematous changes in the mucous membranes and tongue and makes it possible to establish the presence of hidden edema, which can serve as an important diagnostic sign in early stages of the disease. Swelling of the tongue and mucous membranes is a characteristic symptom of chronic intestinal pathology: colitis, enterocolitis and is detected in more than 80% of cases. This condition is determined by a violation of the absorption and barrier functions of the intestinal epithelium. In addition, water imbalance also plays a certain role.

Paresthesia of the tongue often occurs in patients with pathology of the gastrointestinal tract. Sometimes a burning sensation and tingling sensation can be observed without visual changes in the tongue. The taste buds of the tongue perform a sensory function and are the effector, end link of the gastrolingual reflex. It is known that normally their number is in correlation with the functional state of the digestive tract. The maximum activity of the receptors is observed on an empty stomach, and after eating, their demobilization is observed. This occurs as a result of centrifugal impulses from the interoreceptors of the stomach to the exteroreceptor apparatus of the tongue and is realized as a normal reaction in healthy people. Some disturbances in taste sensitivity are observed in almost all diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Thus, with peptic ulcers, several types of functional mobility impairment are noted: there is no demobilization of taste buds after eating; there is a perverse reaction - an increase in the level of mobilization of taste buds after eating; a reaction similar to that observed in practically healthy people [3]. The described disorders are a consequence of changes in the normal reflex relationships of the receptor fields of the tongue and stomach as a result of disorders of the secretory and motor functions of the stomach, which is characteristic of peptic ulcer disease. Decreased taste sensitivity to bitter and sweet is often characteristic of stomach cancer.

Ulcerative lesions of the oral mucosa are nothing more than the result of trophic disorders that occur as a result of pathology of the gastrointestinal tract. This position is confirmed by numerous clinical observations indicating a combination of aphthous stomatitis with diseases of the large intestine, as well as experimental studies on its modeling. With experimental gastritis and enterocolitis, predominantly desquamative and then erosive-ulcerative glossitis develops. And irritation of the large intestine provokes the development of aphthae-like changes in the mucous membranes.

A change in the color of the mucous membrane also indicates gastrointestinal diseases. It has been established that the color of the mucous membrane depends to a certain extent on the type, duration and severity of the underlying disease. Catarrhal stomatitis, manifested in the form of areas of hyperemia or cyanosis, is observed with gastric ulcers, colitis, enterocolitis. In case of complications of gastric ulcer by bleeding, pallor of the mucous membranes is noted.

In our study, we examined a group of patients from the gastroenterology department of the Road Clinical Hospital in the city of Saratov, consisting of 19 male and female people aged from 43 to 66 years with gastritis (6 patients) and gastric ulcers (13 patients). The following results were obtained: patients with gastric ulcer (in the acute phase) complain of burning - 69%, tingling of the tongue - 54%, impaired taste perception - 69%. Objectively: hyperemia of the mucous membranes - 85%, the tongue is covered with a whitish-gray coating - 100%, hypertrophic changes in the fungiform papillae of the tongue are noted - 92%, as well as changes like rhombic glossitis - 15%. According to literary sources, all identified changes in the organs of the oral cavity are in one way or another characteristic of gastric ulcer in the acute phase. Patients with hyperacid gastritis complain of distortion of taste sensations - 33%, the presence of a metallic taste in the mouth - 16%. Objectively: swollen, hyperemic mucosa of the vestibule and the oral cavity itself - 83%, there is a change in the relief of the tongue like a “varnished” type in some patients - 33% and like hyperplastic glossitis in others - 50%, a grayish coating on the back of the tongue - 83% ( Table 1). Note that all the identified changes in the oral cavity of patients with gastritis, with the exception of rhombic glossitis, are also characteristic of this pathology and were described above based on data from a literature review. However, in our study, the sample consists of only 19 people, so it is not possible to transfer the results obtained to the general population and talk about a direct relationship between the identified changes in the oral cavity and a specific pathology due to the low representativeness of the sample. Moreover, at the moment, in the available literature sources, no reliable information has been found on a strict correlation between certain changes in the morpho-functional state of the oral cavity and specific diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. However, in the literature there is a lot of information that there are manifestations in the oral cavity that are more or less characteristic of certain gastrointestinal diseases, which is confirmed by the results of our study.

It should also be remembered that changes in the mucous membranes often reflect the essence not of “pure” pathology of the gastrointestinal tract, but of other disorders of the body that have developed secondarily [17]. Therefore, determining the primary etiological factor that caused the development of certain changes in the oral cavity is one of the key points in the professional activity of a dentist in relation to the diagnosis of the disease.

Why does the problem occur in pregnant women?

Teeth imprints on the tongue during pregnancy may be associated with the pathologies that we listed earlier, but most often they appear for the following reasons:

dehydration of the body against the background of severe toxicosis,
iron deficiency anemia: the muscle organ becomes red, swollen and numb,
candidal stomatitis: then the unpleasant symptom is accompanied by the appearance of a dense cheesy coating,
lack of B vitamins and folic acid,
physiological swelling of organs due to the accumulation of fluid in the body in late pregnancy.

“I constantly noticed this problem during pregnancy. Especially after I get nervous. It was very noticeable in the later stages, in the summer, in the very heat. I was also constantly thirsty, I always felt that my mouth was very dry, and my tongue was swollen as a result. And I drank water and drank... True, the doctor scolded me all the time, saying that my whole body and all my internal organs were swelling. As soon as I gave birth, everything returned to normal...”
Anastasia K., review from woman.ru

How to get rid

To treat dental marks on the sides of the tongue, it is necessary to undergo a diagnosis and identify the underlying causes. This process occurs in several stages:

Examination and history taking. The examination is carried out in the morning on an empty stomach, while the plaque has not yet been washed away and the swelling has not intensified. The doctor finds out how long ago the clinical signs arose and how they developed.
Conducting analysis of a sample from the surface of the oral mucosa and standard tests to determine the physical condition.
Referral to specialists who will conduct further examination of the causes and treatment.

For a detailed examination, the doctor finds out what kind of lifestyle the patient leads, whether he has a risk of contracting hereditary diseases, what bad habits he has, how dental and oral hygiene is performed, whether there are tumors, etc. Taste sensitivity is determined, the specialist pays attention to the size of the teeth imprints, color, shape and size of the tongue, the presence or smoothness of the papillae. Particular attention is paid to the presence of cracks or ulcers, their depth and pain.

The course of treatment depends on what factors caused the appearance of the clinical picture. As a rule, it helps to get rid of this symptom or reduce its manifestations and consequences.

Associated symptoms

People who have imprints of their front or chewing teeth on their tongue often notice other alarming signs indicating pathological conditions:

the muscular organ swells and increases in volume, becomes inflamed, changes its color, cracks, sores, erosions and spots appear on it,
plaque formation: the density of plaque may depend on various factors - time of day, stage of development of a particular disease, nature of food consumed, frequency and thoroughness of hygiene procedures,
it is difficult and painful to eat food, swallow it, talk,
displacement of the tongue to the side, inability to control its position.

Some experts believe that if prints appear on the tip of an organ, this may indicate excessive nervous excitability and stress. If on the sides, then most often it indicates malocclusion pathologies, dental problems, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, and pathologies of the endocrine system.

Provoking factors

Contrary to general belief, the causes of dental imprints on the sides of the tongue can be factors that are not only caused by dental disorders, but provoked by diseases of various organs and systems. This point is clarified during the initial examination in order to determine the further path of examination.

For simplicity, experts divide all the reasons that cause the appearance of imprints on the sides of the tongue into two main groups: those related to dentistry and those related to other areas of medicine.

Dental reasons

Dentists, seeing the above manifestations on the sides of the tongue, first of all assume one of the most likely reasons:

improperly formed bite;
severe form of glossitis;
hyperxerostomia.

Atypical bite

Most often, this clinical picture is observed in childhood during the formation of the bite. Treatment in this case is much faster and easier than in adulthood, but the cause can be eliminated at any age without exception.

To change the bite, braces or orthodontic plates are most often used. Treatment time varies individually; restoration of the bite can take from a year to several years.

Parallel symptoms may include impaired diction, difficulty chewing food, and rapid wear of tooth enamel. Not only tooth marks can form on the sides of the tongue, but also ulcers, chafing and wounds, as well as on the lateral inner surfaces of the cheeks.

Glossitis

An inflammatory pathology that affects the mucous membrane of the tongue, in which the surface of this organ becomes swollen and shiny. With dystrophic glossitis, not only do tooth marks form on the tongue, but also wounds, brown or red spots, and erosions appear. The causes of this chronic disease can be long-term vitamin deficiencies, contact with the mucous membrane of fungi or viruses, tumor growths or mechanical injuries.

Tooth marks on the sides of the tongue occur due to swelling, leading to an increase in the size of this organ. Treatment of dystrophic glossitis is carried out by the dentist, prescribing the patient a course of rinses, antiviral agents, antibiotic drugs, dental ointments or gels, etc.

Xerostomia

This term refers to a disorder of salivary secretion. Due to dryness on the sides and top surface, the tongue becomes red and dry, which causes swelling. Painful cracks and tooth marks may appear.

With xerostomia, the process of wetting food masses during chewing is disrupted, it becomes difficult to swallow, and sometimes pain occurs when swallowing. Taste sensations may be impaired. The disease is often accompanied by damage to periodontal tissue.

Non-dental reasons

The list of such reasons is very extensive, but among the most common are the following:

malfunctions of the nervous system;
curvature of the tongue;
diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
endocrine disorders and diseases associated with metabolic failure.

Neurological problems

Increased excitability and pronounced neuroses can lead to biting or squeezing the tongue with teeth, resulting in pronounced imprints. Sometimes biting leads to disruption of the integrity of the mucous membrane and even muscle tissue, causing bleeding. The stronger the neuroses, the more pronounced these symptoms are.

Treatment of such disorders is carried out by a neurologist, after which the tooth marks should disappear and the damaged areas should be restored.

Curvature of the tongue

This phenomenon can occur for a number of reasons: injury to the hypoglossal nerve, consequences of a stroke, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, etc. Imprints appear due to excessive pressure from the teeth on the lateral surfaces of the mucosa. Most often, such curvature is typical in old age. Treatment in these cases brings relief, and sometimes complete relief from unpleasant symptoms.

Malfunctions of the gastrointestinal tract

Many pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract are characterized by changes in plaque with an increase in density and thickness. This plaque can be white, yellowish, dirty brown or greenish, depending on the stage of the pathology. Imprints occur due to the fact that the enamel, upon contact, removes this plaque, cleaning the mucous membrane in places of contact with the teeth. A gastroenterologist treats such diseases.

Hypothyroidism

Tooth marks can occur due to swelling of the mucous membranes observed in the oral cavity in the later stages of hypothyroidism. Parallel symptoms may include swelling of the face, hair loss, impaired diction, etc. Treatment is carried out by an endocrinologist, who selects therapeutic agents to equalize the patient’s hormone levels.

Pellagra

A disease that occurs due to a lack of certain nutrients and vitamins in the diet. The disease is most susceptible to people of low social status, who, in addition to teeth marks, may exhibit dysfunction of the nervous system, paralysis of the limbs, diarrhea, severe dementia, etc. Lack of treatment can ultimately lead to death.

Removing fingerprints at home

Marks or imprints on the tongue are especially noticeable when there is plaque. To get rid of the problem, you can thoroughly clean the surface of the muscular organ with a brush or a special scraper. Afterwards, it is recommended to rinse the mouth well with water and mouthwash. Any antiseptic, soda solution, as well as herbal decoctions are also suitable for rinsing - all this is especially important if there are not only traces on the mucous membrane, but also ulcers, wounds or cracks, bleeding, if you are bothered by bad breath.

If the mucous membranes are dry, caused by dehydration or extreme heat, it is recommended to drink more liquid, in particular plain water, fruit drinks, and herbal teas. This will help restore the water-salt balance and normalize salivation, as well as get rid of the feeling that the tongue is swollen.

It is important to understand here that if the problem is pathological, then after a short period of time you will again notice marks on the tongue, a large accumulation of plaque and other associated symptoms. In this case, you will be able to get rid of the pathology only when you cure the underlying disease, which means that you will first have to see a doctor.