The fissured tongue, also called a cracked tongue, is a benign alteration characterized by the presence of several cuts on the tongue that do not cause signs or symptoms, however when the tongue is not well cleaned, there is a greater risk of infections, mainly by the fungus Candida albicans , and there may also be mild pain, burning, and bad breath.
The cracked tongue has no specific cause, being considered a characteristic of the person and, therefore, there is no specific treatment, it is only recommended that the person performs a good oral hygiene, brushing the teeth regularly, using dental floss and cleaning the tongue very well to remove the rest of food that may have accumulated in the cracks and that allow the development of microorganisms. Learn how to do a good oral hygiene.
How to identify the fissured tongue
The cracked tongue does not lead to the appearance of any sign or characteristic sign, only the presence of several cracks in the tongue that can be between 2 and 6 mm deep. However, some people report that they feel pain or burning when eating spicy, salty or acidic foods and may experience bad breath due to the accumulation of food scraps inside the fissures, which promote the growth of bacteria inside the mouth.
The person who has a fissured tongue is more likely to have oral candidiasis and therefore should keep his mouth always clean, brushing his teeth and tongue always after eating, thus avoiding the proliferation of fungi of the genus Candida sp., Which it is responsible for pain, burning and bad breath. Learn to recognize the symptoms of oral candidiasis and how treatment is done.
What causes cracked tongue
The cracked tongue does not have a specific cause being a genetic characteristic that the person has, and therefore it can be observed since childhood and tends to become more pronounced with aging.
The people most affected are those who have Down's syndrome, psoriasis, or who have any syndrome such as Sjogren's syndrome, Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome or acromegaly, for example. In addition, people who have a geographical language, which is when the taste buds become more evident, forming a kind of 'map' on the tongue, usually also have a fissured tongue.
