A red, cracked, sore tongue can be very painful and interfere with your ability to eat properly. The condition can be caused by irritation from eating, a fissured tongue or even from a disease known as Sjogren's syndrome. It is essential for you to educate yourself about the possible causes and ways to treat this problematic medical condition; consult your doctor for an examination and advice before attempting to self-treat this or any health problem.
Causes
Eating crunchy or acidic foods can cause the tongue to crack and become red and inflamed. According to the DermNet NZ website, underlying syndromes such as orofacial granulomatosis or Down syndrome can cause you to develop a fissured tongue. The Center for Autoimmune Diseases at the University of Florida adds that Sjogren's syndrome causes a lack of saliva, which in turn makes your mouth dry out and your tongue become red, cracked, and sore.
Features
Acidic foods such as pineapples can cause your tongue to become red and cracked. As a result, acid in food will cause pain in your tongue. If you are suffering from a fissured tongue, DermNet NZ explains, you may exhibit signs such as deep fractures on the surface of your tongue. A fissured tongue will become red and cracked, and when food gets down into the cracks, it can cause soreness in your tongue. Sjogren's syndrome will cause the tongue to dry out and the tongue will then become dry, cracked and irritated.
Identification
Your doctor can give you a diagnosis of fissured tongue during a clinical assessment, DermNet NZ reports. Your doctor or dentist may also use a visual assessment to give you a diagnosis of Sjogren's syndrome. Acidic foods will usually cause a tongue to be red, cracked and sore within 24 hours of eating those foods.
Treatment
A fissured tongue usually requires no medical treatment except for keeping the tongue and mouth as clean as possible to reduce debris from getting into the cracks of your tongue, DermNet NZ explains. If you're suffering from Sjogren's syndrome, keep your mouth well-hydrated. This may mean drinking water throughout the day; avoid drinks high in sugar, alcohol and caffeine. In addition, the UF Center for Autoimmune Diseases reports that your physician may prescribe medications such as Salagen and Evoxac to help with the dryness of your mouth. Mouth rinses may also be helpful; your physician may prescribe PerioGard or Peridex for this purpose. If your tongue is red, cracked and sore from eating acidic foods, avoid these types of foods altogether until the condition improves.
Warning
According to the UF Center for Autoimmune Diseases, if your red, cracked, sore tongue is the result of Sjogren's syndrome, you may be at higher risk for developing oral infections, because the saliva in the mouth actually helps to decrease the amount of bacteria in your mouth.
