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The fissured tongue, also called a cracked tongue, is a benign alteration characterized by the presence of several cuts in 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 and, therefore, there is no specific treatment, it is only recommended that the person has good oral hygiene, brushing their teeth regularly, using dental floss and cleaning the tongue very well to remove the rest of foods that may have accumulated in the fissures and allow the development of microorganisms, which cause problems such as bad breath or gingivitis, for example. See how to do a good oral hygiene.
How to identify the fissured tongue
The cracked tongue does not lead to the appearance of any characteristic symptom or sign other than the presence of several fissures 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 fungi and bacteria inside the mouth.
How to treat fissured tongue
Since the fissured tongue is considered a characteristic of the person, there is no specific type of treatment, it is only recommended to take greater care with oral hygiene, to avoid the accumulation of fungi or bacteria in the fissures, which can cause oral diseases, such as candidiasis or gingivitis, for example. Learn to recognize the symptoms of oral candidiasis and how treatment is done.
Thus, it is recommended to brush your teeth and tongue every time after eating, in addition to checking that there are no remains of food inside the fissures, thus preventing the appearance of infections that can cause pain, burning and bad breath.
What causes cracked tongue
The cracked tongue does not have a specific cause being a genetic characteristic that the person has, and for that reason it can be observed since childhood, although it 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.