Causes of Broken Tongue and How to Overcome It

Cracked tongue is a condition that affects the surface of the tongue. In medical terms, chapped tongue has another term, namely lingua plicata, scrotal tongue, or fissured tongue. Although generally not dangerous, it never hurts to pay attention to the causes and how to overcome them, so that this condition does not cause other disorders of the mouth. In many cases, adults more often experience chapped tongue and this condition will get worse with age. Chapped tongue has a characteristic that is easily recognized, in the form of shallow or deep grooves that form on the upper tongue or the edge of the tongue. The depth and size of the grooves vary and can meet one another, causing the tongue to look chapped. This condition does not cause complaints, except if there are food debris already stuck in the gully.

Causes of Broken Tongue

Until now, the exact cause of a chapped tongue is still not clearly known. However, there are several factors that can increase the risk of chapped tongue, such as:

• Hereditary factors (genetic), parents who have chapped tongue can reduce the condition to their children.
• Lack of iron, folate and vitamin B12 intake.
• Fungal infections.
• Spicy, sour food or hot drinks.
• Smoke.
• Weakening of the immune system.
• Dehydration.
• Consuming alcoholic drinks.
• Stress.

Chapped tongue can usually appear together with other conditions, for example:

• Geographical Aloe / Benign Migratory Glossitis (BMG)

This condition is generally harmless and often appears together with a chapped tongue. In addition, the tongue will feel more sensitive to hot and spicy foods.

• Down syndrome

Down's syndrome is a genetic disorder that causes physical and mental growth and development sufferers are inhibited. Studies show as much as 80 percent of children who suffer from Down syndrome will experience chapped tongue.

• Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome

This disease is rarely found. In addition to causing chapped tongue, this condition is accompanied by swelling of the lips and face, and paralysis of one side of the face.

How to deal with chapped tongue

Chapped tongue generally does not require special care. However, it is important to always maintain oral and dental hygiene. One way is to brush the upper surface of the tongue to remove food debris left in the tongue gap. If you are lazy to brush the surface of the tongue, the bacteria and plaque will clot, causing bad breath and damage to the teeth. Other things you can do at home to deal with chapped tongue, include:

• Quit smoking.
• Stop consuming alcoholic drinks.
• Eating foods with balanced nutrition.
• Reducing consumption of spicy, sour, and hot drinks.
• Meet your daily fluid needs, to prevent dehydration and dry mouth.
• Routinely visit the dentist twice a year to do maintenance, cleaning, and dental and oral health checks.

Chapped tongue can generally improve on its own, as long as oral health is maintained. But if the condition of the tongue is chapped accompanied by other complaints such as canker sores that do not heal for a long time, there is a taste disorder, the tongue looks swollen or painful, immediately consult a dentist to get treatment.