“What causes a person to have a geographic tongue?”
I am a 33 year old female. For the last 4 years, I have a geographic tongue. Should I treat it?
6 Answers
It is caused by your immune system, and typically only requires treatment if you have pain. Severe geographic tongue can give a burning sensation that is treated with a steroid.
You are usually born with that condition. No treatment necessary unless there is burning
Many patients will experience geographic tongue when they are under a higher than normal amount of stress. At this point, the best way to make sure you are healthy is to have your regularly scheduled appointments with your dentist in order to monitor the changes in your tongue's appearance.
This phenomenon is not completely understood. It appears to be somewhat autoimmune in nature and thus will not respond much to the conventional mouth medications. IF it becomes painful and irritating, we can prescribe steroid based mouth rinses that will help stop the severity. This comes and goes commonly.
Geographic tongue is a harmless condition affecting the surface of your tongue. The tongue is normally covered with pinkish-white bumps, which are actually hairlike projections. With geographic tongue, patches on the surface of the tongue are missing these bumps and appear as smooth, often with slightly raised borders.
There are many contributory factors which may cause a geographic tongue. The only time I recommend treating it is if it is symptomatic. Some of my patients avoid spicy foods when it is bothering them. Others have no symptoms.
