Geographic tongue, also known as benign migratory glossitis, is a harmless but discomforting condition that mostly affects the top and sides of your tongue.
It forms irregular patches on the surface of the tongue that gives the tongue a map-like appearance, hence the name “geographic tongue.” According to the American Academy of Oral Medicine, it is estimated to affect 1%-2.5% of the population.
Causes of Geographic Tongue
The patches on the tongue develop due to the absence of papillae or tiny bumps in the affected area. However, no one really knows what causes it.
Several factors can contribute to it, such as:
- Emotional stress or other psychological factors
- Oral parafunctional habits
- Allergies
- A nutritional deficiency
- Hormonal disturbances
- Family history
- Irritation from hot or spicy foods or alcohol
Moreover, it has been found that geographic tongue may coexist with other disorders, too. Such disorders include:
- Fissured tongue
- Diabetes
- Gastrointestinal diseases
- Burning mouth syndrome
- Down syndrome
- This problem is more common in people with psoriasis. Some consider geographic tongue an oral form of psoriasis, although in some studies, it was found that incidences of psoriasis and geographic tongue were independent of each other.
- Anyone can potentially develop geographic tongue, irrespective of age and sex. It is not contagious and also will never turn into cancer. The condition often resolves on its own but may appear again later.
Signs and Symptoms of Geographic Tongue
- The tongue appears covered by bald, red patches due to the loss of papillae in those regions. These lesions covering the tongue are red, smooth, and irregularly shaped with a white and often elevated border.
- These lesions tend to vary in shape, size, and color and frequently change their location, i.e., the lesion may heal in one spot and move to another.
- In some cases, the tongue may also become sensitive to hot, spicy, or acidic foods.
- Tongue exhibits increased sensitivity and discomfort towards cigarette smoke and toothpaste.
- The red areas sometimes become infected with thrush (candida).
- In addition, there may be sores and burning pain as well as bad breath.
Backenting Geographic Tongue
- As geographic tongue can occur due to a vitamin B deficiency, you need to eat more vitamin B-rich foods. This vitamin can even prevent recurrence of patches on your tongue.
- Follow proper oral hygiene by brushing your teeth twice daily and flossing regularly.
- Avoid toothpastes with tartar-control additives, heavy flavoring, or whitening agents. Use a mild toothpaste for sensitive teeth instead.
- Manage your stress levels, as stress seems to contribute towards the development of this condition.
When to See a Doctor
Always consult your doctor for a proper diagnosis to rule out the possibility of a more serious underlying condition.
You must see a doctor if you experience any of the following:
- A lesion that lasts longer than 10 days
- Troubled breathing
- Difficulty speaking, chewing, or swallowing
- Severely swollen tongue
There is no cure for geographic tongue. To ease the nuisance or irritation, you can try some simple home remedies and lifestyle changes.
Treating Geographic Tongue at Home
Here are some ways to alleviate the signs and symptoms of geographic tongue.
1. Clean the Tongue
As a generally accepted rule of thumb, brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing once a day is enough to maintain good oral hygiene. However, we conveniently skip over the fact that the tongue is also part of our oral cavity in addition to our teeth and gums.
Scraping your tongue regularly, therefore, should be a mandatory step in your oral routine. This will prevent the development of white patches on your tongue. To scrape your tongue, you can use a tongue scraper or a toothbrush with a tongue cleaner.
According to a 2008 study published in the Journal of Applied Oral Science, using a scraper that comes attached to a toothbrush or a conventional tongue scraper has proven effective in terms of breath improvement and reduction of tongue microbiota.
No matter which one you prefer to use, always rinse it clean between each scraping.
2. Make Necessary Dietary Choices
To reduce the discomfort associated with geographic tongue, avoid or limit food irritants that may aggravate the sensitive tissues of your tongue.
Food irritants usually worsen the condition, making it difficult to heal.
- Avoid eating hot, spicy, acidic, or salty foods.
- Avoid tobacco products.
- Avoid heavily flavored candy or other food products.
- Avoid acidic fruits and vegetables.
- Limit your consumption of highly sugary and processed foods.
3. Fluid Intake
By keeping your body hydrated, you can ease some discomforts of geographic tongue. To promote hydration, simply increase your fluid intake.
Hydration also stimulates the production of saliva, which in turn promotes oral health.
- Drink ample amount of water throughout the day. You can also suck on small pieces of ice.
- Eat frozen chunks of water-based fruits and vegetables, like watermelon and cucumber.
- Drink smoothies, fruit juice, or vegetable juice.
- Drink 1 to 2 glasses of coconut water daily.
- Drink chilled herbal teas, like green tea or chamomile tea.
- Avoid sugary drinks, and cut down on regular tea, coffee, and alcoholic beverages.
4. Oil Pulling
This ancient Ayurvedic practice can help treat red patches on your tongue by helping with the removal of toxins from your mouth and body. Consequently, it helps prevent foul breath, which is associated with a case of geographic tongue.
A 2011 study published in the Journal of Indian Society of Pedodontics and Backentive Dentistry reports that oil pulling therapy is effective in treating halitosis, or bad breath.
It is, therefore, an effective technique to maintain and promote good oral health.
- Put 1 tablespoon of organic, cold-pressed coconut or sesame oil in your mouth.
- Swish the oil around your mouth for about 10 minutes.
- Spit out the oil and rinse your mouth with warm water.
- Brush your teeth as usual.
- Use this remedy daily in the morning before eating anything.
5. Aloe Vera
The anti-inflammatory and healing properties of aloe vera make it an effective remedy in treating different types of oral problems, including geographic tongue.
What’s more, it helps get rid of bad breath.
- Extract the gel from an aloe vera leaf and apply it on your tongue. Wait for 10 minutes before rinsing it off with lukewarm water. Repeat a few times daily.
- Use aloe vera juice to rinse your mouth 2 or 3 times a day.
6. Zinc
Zinc deficiency is also associated with geographic tongue and other oral problems.
A 2005 study published in the Journal of Dental Medicine highlights the positive role of zinc in maintaining healthy epithelial tissues and in the treatment of geographic tongue.
Hence, taking zinc supplement or eating more zinc-rich foods may help ameliorate the symptoms of geographic tongue. In addition, zinc promotes a proper and improved sense of taste and smell.
- Zinc supplements come in several forms: tablets, capsules, and lozenges. Consult your doctor for the correct dosage.
- You can also increase your zinc intake with foods, like red meat, fish, oysters, crab, milk, cheese, beans, lentils, fortified breakfast cereals, nuts, seeds, yogurt, kefir, spinach, and other green leafy vegetables.
Additional Tips
- You can soak a cotton ball in vegetable glycerin and apply it on your tongue for 5 minutes. Rinse it off thereafter.
- You can even use a glycerin mouthwash 2 or 3 times a day.
- Rub an ice cube on your tongue for temporary relief.
- You can even use an anti-inflammatory steroid topically on your tongue to help reduce the discomfort.
- Develop a routine of detoxification and cleansing, particularly the colon.
Resources:
- Staff SBI. Geographic Tongue. The American Academy of Oral Medicine. https://www.aaom.com/geographic-tongue.
- Huamei Y, Yu Z, Xin Z, Ga L, Qianming C. [Research progress on the risk factors of geographic tongue]. West China journal of stomatology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25872308. Published February 2015.
- Picciani BLS, Domingos TA, Teixeira-Souza T, et al. Current neurology and neuroscience reports. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4999097/. Published 2016.
- Rezaei F, Safarzadeh M, Mozafari H, Tavakoli P. Backalence of Geographic Tongue and Related Predisposing Factors in 7-18 Year-Old Students in Kermanshah, Iran 2014. Global Journal of Health Science. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4803890/. Published September 2015.
- Casemiro LA, Martins CHG, Carvalho TCde, Panzeri H, Lavrador MAS, Pires-De-Souza Fde CP. Journal of Applied Oral Science. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4327536/. Published August 2008
- Bouquot JE, Nikai H. Geographic tongue. Diagnostic Surgical Pathology of the Head and Neck . https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/geographic-tongue. Published 2009.
- Ship JA, Fischer DJ. The relationship between dehydration and parotid salivary gland function in young and older healthy adults. Current neurology and neuroscience reports. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9310086. Published September 1997.
- Shanbhag VKL. Oil pulling for maintaining oral hygiene – A review. Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5198813/. Published January 2017.
- Asokan S, Kumar RS, Emmadi P, Raghuraman R, Sivakumar N. Effect of oil pulling on halitosis and microorganisms causing halitosis: a randomized controlled pilot trial. Journal of the Indian Society of Pedodontics and Backentive Dentistry. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21911944.
- Mangaiyarkarasi SP, Manigandan T, Elumalai M, Cholan PK, Kaur RP. Current neurology and neuroscience reports. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4439686/. Published April 2015.
- Abdolsamadi, Hamian. An investigation on therapeutic effect of zinc sulfate in patients with geographic tongue. Journal of Dental Medicine. http://jdm.tums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_id=299&sid=1&slc_lang=en. Published July 15, 2005.
Thank you so very much for the information posted. now I understand I need to make. Appts with my Dr. Probably pretty soon for my ongoing Health issues I thought would go away on their own.For over 2 yrs now I been thinking that. Thank you so much. PLEASE keep doing what you do. GOD Bless You. Female Health issues.
I tried the vegetable glycerin and it alleviated the pain I was having with a particularly painful geographic tongue sore. Very surprised and extremely thankful!
Did this work for you l need to try this my tounge has give me a problem.
This condition is awful, at age 55 it just crept up on me and now I have this discomfort almost daily. Apple cider vinegar in warm water eases it. My doctor said…”it sucks to get old”
Thanks doc for your regarded opinion ?
I will have to try this. I had this problem about 25 years ago, but didn’t have a computer. It lasted about 2 years. The tongue got really raw. Been an extreme amount of stress in my life. I will try these remedies and see what works best for me. I don’t want it to last that long again. My doctor said he doesn’t believe the medicines out there do well for this.
I have been suffering with geographical tongue for about a year and have tried everything. The best thing I found was aloe juice with some alum dissolved in it. take a small amount and hold on tongue for about one minute then spit it out and stay near the sink because your mouth will water. Wait about 30 min before eating or drinking anything.. Clove oil will kill any pain you have, I use Young living brand which is the purest. Really hope I find a cure online, drs dont have much info on this ailment.
I have had this for years. Now it is constant. I do a baking soda rinse, and this helps to alleviate the pain.
I have this all the time now, Baking soda rinse a few times a day helps.
Thank you so much. Incredibly helpful.
The tip of my tongue is peeling?
Anyone else? Doctors & ER have started staring at me very oddly. I discovered this while meditati very depressed and frustrated thinking I was dying at age 62 after 2 years of suffering
Thank you so much This changed my life! Test after test all negative. Specialists all think I’m crazy when I say there is skin around my teeth…
I’ve been in the ER more than a dozen times in a year and it now seems as though the very top of my tongue is peeling! I am a 63 yo female…I just quit smoking menthol cicigarettes tonight . I think I’m going to live!
I am 72 and have just been diagnosed with geographic tongue. There are many choices here so I can begin with #1 and hope it works. My tongue is so sore. I can’t eat apples and I love them. The only fruit I can seem to eat is bananas. I am worried about my health as far as fruit and vegetables are concerned.
While some of these helped temporarily nothing worked long term. I don’t know why, but the only thing to work for me was sucking on cinnamon bears twice a day. Discovered completely by accident and can’t explain why it works.
I thought it was some fungal infection and tried all possible treatments but the patches still persisted. i was recently relieved when a doctor told me it isn’t exactly what i thought. Thanks alot for ya remedies am yet to try
Those who are allergenic to chlorine suffer from geographic Tounge. Our drinking water contains chlorine. The only way is buy an RO water purifier. To wash the mouth and to drink take the water from RO purifier only. I was suffering from GT last 30 years . Now I am free from that. My childhood life was in a village and in those days we were drinking well water. There was no problem those Days. We don’t add chlorine in well water.
thank you very much for the remedy.i have had this problem for my entire life time.i m 50yrs now.even my son has the same problem.i wii start the remedy right now.
thanks a lot for the remedies.i will start using them.
childrens Benadryl seems to work rather well. swish liquid in mouth 2-3 minutes and spit out !!
also cold-eeze lozenges dissolved in mouth
Thanks so much, what a relief to know its not a serious condition. Mine started about 4 and a half years ago. It all started with a little hard bump on the back of my hard palate. The first bald patch were right under that bump. Over a period of a year, I thought I was gonna die of cancer. I literally lived like the song, I whish one day you could, live like you were dying. (Before and during this period in my life, I had alot of stress, not sure if this counts for any thing)
The bump became bumps and it comes and go’s and my tongue got worse and I started to get dull headaches top right and top left and also nasal pain in die bone part of my nose. Lately I started to get anxiety attacks at night. Also I developed drooping upper eyelids and headaches all over, like cluster headaches and some is like tention headaches. Also, pins and needles at night, with numb index and thumb. This got a bit better (Probably stress related)
Thanks to this page I now atleast know what is wrong with my tongue. From what I read, it might be linked to stress.
I am working on bringing my stress levels down. Exercise and drinking less beer and pops and more water.
Thanks again!
Thank you! I’m 28 and I’ve been suffering from this condition for years!! I’ve also terribly misdiagnosed it before knowing what it is. It’s a relief knowing it’s pretty harmless. It seems to be genetic since I’m not the only one in the family. Will try one of the remedies and see which one works. Thank you!
I used to have geographic tongue, but got rid of it. Here is how…
I was to have a procedure and I was only allowed clear fluids for a day or so. I looked closely at my tongue and it seemed to be improving very slightly. I continued the clear fluids over the next 4 days or so, it went away. Go I added some juice in then individual foods. Some caused it, some didn’t. You want to get rid of geographic tongue. If you have ulceration of the tongue, it will also be seen all the way to the stomach to some degree.
I do believe that there may be some nutritional detail that is implicated in geographic tongue.