Tongue Grows Numb: Causes And Treatment

2024 Author: Rachel Wainwright | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 07:39

Language grows dumb: reasons for what to do

The content of the article:

Reasons for impaired sensitivity
1. Causes of temporary loss of sensitivity
2. Causes of prolonged numbness
3. Primary and secondary nerve damage
4. Stroke
The influence of hormonal levels on the sensitivity of the tongue
Establishing diagnosis
Healing activities
Video

Numbness of the tongue is not an independent disease. If the tongue grows numb, the reasons for the loss of sensitivity are associated with changes in the quality of information coming from the organ's receptors to the corresponding parts of the cerebral cortex. Such a disorder of sensations is called paresthesia and occurs with vascular, neurological, endocrine diseases, trauma, allergic manifestations, and taking certain medications.

There are many reasons for numbness of the tongue, you need to consult a doctor to find out the exact cause for this case

Reasons for impaired sensitivity

Paresthesias, which include numbness of the tongue, are transient and chronic. The former are usually caused by direct irritation of a superficial nerve or a temporary disruption of blood supply. The latter often arise as symptoms of lesions of various parts of the nervous system due to a deficiency of certain vitamins, metabolic disorders, atherosclerosis.

Causes of temporary loss of sensitivity

A temporary tingling sensation, numbness not only of the tongue, but also of other parts of the oral cavity can be provoked by:

taking medications that include anesthetics;
improperly administered dental anesthesia;
trauma by sharp edges of the tooth, an instrument during dental treatment;
tooth extraction;
surgical intervention in the maxillofacial area;
poorly fitted dentures;
the presence of dissimilar metals and steel solder in bridges;
an allergic reaction to toothpaste, chewing gum, food.

Sensory disturbances disappear relatively quickly after the elimination of the factors that served as the basis for their development.

Causes of prolonged numbness

Paresthesia is considered chronic when numbness of the tongue is persistent or paroxysmal. Numbness and other unpleasant sensations (as if the tongue is sprinkled with pepper, scalded, etc.) often occur without visible influence of external damaging factors and can affect the mucous membrane of the lips, gums, palate, be accompanied by dysfunction of the salivary glands (dry mouth), pain of varying intensity, trophic disorders.

Long-term loss of tongue sensitivity is observed in many pathological conditions of the human body:

inflammatory diseases of the stomach, pancreas, gallbladder, liver;
peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum;
helminthic invasion (ascariasis);
vitamin B12 deficiency;
chronic viral infections (herpes zoster);
osteochondrosis of the cervical spine;
inflammatory processes in the paranasal sinuses;
diabetes;
chronic alcohol intoxication;
smoking;
autoimmune diseases (multiple sclerosis).

Primary and secondary nerve damage

If we summarize the above, then only two groups of etiological factors are formed: primary damage to the nerves and secondary disorders of the nervous system, which were complications of already ongoing diseases. This explains the variety of reasons, both in quantity and in origin.

Type of nerve damage	What causes
Primary	Infectious for example, HIV infection, tumor, neurodegenerative and autoimmune processes. In this case, the negative effect is carried out directly on the nerve.
Secondary	Blood circulation and metabolism of nervous tissue are disturbed by chronic diseases of various organs and systems.

Stroke

When the sensitivity of the entire organ is lost, or the tip of the tongue becomes numb, the cause may be a stroke - an acute violation of the blood supply to the brain. The clinical manifestations of stroke are divided into cerebral and focal. The former include confusion, loss of consciousness, headache, nausea, tachycardia, pain in the heart, the latter - paresis, paralysis, impaired sensitivity, vision, speech (vocal folds of the larynx are affected). Numbness of the tongue is one of the focal symptoms of stroke.

The appearance of focal symptoms depends on the location of the stroke. When diagnosing, it should be borne in mind that the listed signs occur on the side opposite to the side of the localization of the lesion in the brain: the focus is in the right hemisphere, which means that the symptoms will appear in the left half of the body, and vice versa.

The influence of hormonal levels on the sensitivity of the tongue

Changes in hormonal levels lead to vascular and trophic disorders of many organs and systems. During gestation and in menopause, the balance of hormones changes significantly. Numbness of the tongue can occur in pregnant women in late stages against the background of high blood pressure and edema. Complaints about changes in sensitivity can appear in women after menopause. This is due to:

atrophic changes in the oral mucosa;
a decrease in the regenerative capacity of the epithelium of the mucous membranes;
lability of the nervous system;
dysregulation of vegetative centers;
functional changes in the thyroid gland.

In fairness, it should be noted that such disorders are rarely observed and only with the pathological course of menopause.

Establishing diagnosis

The diagnosis determines the choice of treatment tactics. Such a seemingly insignificant sensitivity disorder like numbness of the tongue can be a sign of a serious illness. Usually, the diagnosis begins with a targeted examination by the dentist and includes examination, general clinical and laboratory tests.

The first thing to do with prolonged numbness of the tongue is to consult a dentist

If the problem is not solved in the dentist's office, it means that you may need to consult a therapist, neuropathologist, endocrinologist and other doctors. In addition, additional research is possible:

electroencephalography;
computed, magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and / or spinal cord;
Ultrasound of brachiocephalic vessels;
spine radiography;
electrocardiography;
Ultrasound of the heart;
fibrogastroduodenoscopy;
biochemical blood test;
psycho-emotional testing.

The specific scope of the examination is determined by the specialized specialist.

Healing activities

Since numbness of the tongue is only a symptom, therapy should be aimed at eliminating the disease that caused it. If you have dental problems, you may need:

sanitation of the oral cavity;
grinding sharp areas of teeth, giving them a rounded shape;
correction or replacement of prostheses;
liquidation of dissimilar metals;
normalization of bite and the act of chewing.

With chronic paresthesia, normalization of the functions of body systems is necessary. Treatment is prescribed taking into account the recommendations of a doctor of the appropriate profile, the state of the gastrointestinal tract, the degree of neurological, endocrine and other disorders. Treatment should be comprehensive, with dynamic observation and rehabilitation measures. Physiotherapeutic procedures, vitamin therapy, drugs that improve blood circulation and tissue trophism are widely used.

If the factors that provoke the development or aggravation of the psychoemotional state are identified, their timely elimination is important. Sometimes it is necessary to change the daily routine, to normalize sleep. For successful treatment, it is of great importance to explain to the patient the essence of his neuro-functional disease, the influence of somatic pathology on him, explain the reasons for exacerbations, often the need for repeated courses of treatment.