Geographic Tongue Pictures

It is amazing how many different tongue problems there are. In addition to all the individual ones listed below you can also get a combination of two or more. If you have more than one… simply click to choose the one that is more prevalent.

Do You Have One of These 12 Tongue Problems?
Geographic Tongue	Toddler Geographic Tongue	Fissured Tongue	Scalloped Tongue	Brown Tongue	Black Hairy Tongue
White Spots	White Fuzzy	White Ridges	Beefy Tongue	Pigmented Tongue	Burning Tongue

What is Geographic Tongue?

Geographic tongue is a condition where the surface looks like a map due to the “bald patches”.  These patches appear to move around because the papillae and taste-buds on the surface of the tongue do not replace themselves fast enough.

Typically the surface of your tongue replaces itself every 7 -10 days and new papillae are constantly growing to replace older papillae that “slough off” just as your skin does. But in geographic tongue some areas take to long to grow and thus as the old are sloughed off the new are not there yet and as they appear some other area goes “bald”.   See: How to Eliminate Geographic Tongue.

Geographic Tongue in Toddlers

Geographic tongue is quite common in toddlers. Many doctors will tell you that it is nothing to worry about as they will probably “outgrow it”. And even if they don’t it isn’t “serious”.  But most parents want the best for their children and that includes optimal health and not just the bare minimum. As a parent there are natural things you can do to help your child eliminate their geographic tongue. See more information about toddler geographic tongue.

Fissured Tongue

Between 2% and 5% of the population have cracks or “fissures” on their tongue. Some cracks are virtually invisible while others can be as deep as 6 mm. There are a variety of different types of cracks that result from a variety of different causes. Doctors will tell you that even though they may get deeper with age they aren’t any more serious than wrinkles in your skin. But unfortunately they may be misinformed. Read more about tongue fissures.

Scalloped Tongue

Another problem tongues can exhibit is scallops, ridges or “tooth marks” around the edges making the edge of your tongue look like a pie crust. Scallops can often occur simultaneously with other tongue problems. Read more about tongue scallops.

Tongue Coatings

Tongues can develop a variety of different coatings and colors, some are harmless such as a blue tongue from sucking on a freeze pop or blue candy. Others are more serious and can indicate hidden underlying problems that are “sub-clinical” meaning that they aren’t serious enough to cause you to seek medical attention but could still be leading to your deteriorating health. Some of these coating/colors are:

• Brown Tongue
• Black Tongue or Black Hairy Tongue
• White Spots on Tongue
• White Fuzzy Tongue
• Thrush, Yeast or Candida
• White Ridges around Tongue Edges

Beefy Tongue

Some tongues can become enlarged or “beefy” and appear “too big for the mouth”. This can cause a variety of problems including speech difficulty or even difficulty breathing while sleeping. There are several causes for beefy tongue. Read more.

Pigmented Tongue

Pigmented tongue is the only truly serious tongue condition in that it can indicate a potentially life threatening condition. Read more about pigmented tongue.

Burning Tongue or Mouth

Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is the only painful tongue condition although fissures can result in pain if the cracks are deep enough. But BMS has no visible signs and the only indicator is the pain. Because of this some doctors believe that the condition is “all in your head” i.e. psychosomatic. However we have found several very real causes that are often easily treatable. Read more about Burning Tongue or Mouth.