The appearance of your tongue can be a symptom of various health problems such as vitamin deficiency, dehydration or even sleep apnea.
- A scalloped tongue means that there are undulations on the sides, at the molars and premolars.
- This phenomenon can be normal, due to contact with teeth, but it can also be a sign of more serious health problems.
- For example, a scalloped tongue may be a symptom that a person has sleep apnea or hyperthyroidism.
It is a discreet and yet essential organ: the tongue. It helps us to speak but also to feel tastes, to swallow, to eat… Its functions are numerous and its condition can say a lot about our health. What aspects can be problematic and what are they a sign of?
Scalloped tongue, a symptom of different health problems
If you notice ripples on the sides of your tongue, your tongue is “scalloped.” This phenomenon can be normal and benign, when it is due to contact with the teeth, but it can also be a sign of a more serious health problem.
Indeed, according to the analysis of Dr. Soroush Zaghi, ENT doctor and surgeon, in the Mirrorscalloped tongue may be a symptom of a deficiency in B vitamins, such as vitamins B12, B9 and B2. This lack can lead to swelling of the gums and this scalloped appearance of the tongue.
Another possibility: anxiety, which can manifest itself in the mouth by clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth. Both of these behaviors can lead to a scalloped tongue.
According to health insurance, you must drink between a liter and a liter and a half of water per day to compensate for the body’s losses. If you don’t drink enough, you become dehydrated, and this can also result in a scalloped tongue.
Sometimes serious illnesses such as sleep apnea
“Conditions such as obstructive sleep apnea, where the tongue can block the airway during sleep, are often associated with limited tongue space“, explains Dr. Soroush Zaghi to HuffPost.
Sleep apnea syndrome, or obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (or OSAHS), is a nocturnal ventilation disorder which is characterized by repeated closures of the pharynx during sleep which causes breathing pauses. Patients who suffer from it generally suffer from micro-awakenings of which they are not aware.
OSAHS is sometimes difficult to diagnose because it occurs at night, without patients generally being aware of it. So, a scalloped tongue may be a sign of this disorder because difficulty breathing presses the tongue against the teeth.
Hypothyroidisma condition characterized by the inability of the thyroid gland to produce enough thyroid hormones, can also lead to swelling of the tongue and therefore a scalloped appearance.
Disorders of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), which connects the lower jaw to the skull, can cause symptoms such as jaw pain, earache, or difficulty opening or closing your mouth.
“The misalignment or dysfunction associated with temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ) can reduce the space available to the tongue, contributing to a scalloped appearance.”, indicates Dr. Soroush Zaghi. According to the Civil hospices of LyonATM is “linked to a dysfunction of the joint between the temporal cranial bone and the mandible, which forms the lower jaw”.