Why are there red spots on my baby’s tongue?

Geographic tongue is a very common symptom in children. Although it is not very painful, it is not a trivial matter and requires a long conditioning process. In traditional Chinese medicine, the color of the tongue coating can reflect the strength of the stomach qi. Therefore, if a child has a geographic tongue, it is mostly a sign of weak spleen and stomach, which is related to the child's nutritional status. So what is geographic tongue? The editor will explain it to you below.

Geographic tongue is a chronic exfoliative glossitis that occurs in the superficial layer of the tongue mucosa. Because the lesions often appear in different parts of the tongue and can change in size and shape, and have a migratory characteristic, it is also called migratory glossitis. Because its shape resembles a map, it is also called geographic tongue. The cause of the disease is unknown and it is more common in children and adolescents.

Geographic tongue is more common in children and adolescents because its cause is unknown. At present, Chinese herbal medicine is used for treatment. Pay attention to oral hygiene, eliminate irritants, pay attention to diet and digestive function, and gargle with 2% sodium bicarbonate solution or 2% sodium borate solution. Generally speaking, simple geographic tongue is not recommended for treatment because it has no obvious harm. If there is pain, you can use mouthwash or take vitamin B complex according to the symptoms. If the tongue has cracks, there are two situations:

1. Veined type, that is, the direction of the tongue fissure is like the veins of the leaves.

2. Brain pattern type, that is, the direction of the tongue fissure is like the grooves and convolutions of the brain.

The second situation is more congenital. There may be no symptoms when you are young, but it may deepen and become inflamed with age. If pain occurs, you can use mouthwash and antibiotics. If some grooves are very deep, you can consider surgical treatment, cutting off the local epidermis and suturing it up. However, conservative treatment is generally recommended.

Now that we understand the reasons why children develop geographic tongue, we should pay more attention to their eating and living habits in the future. Be sure to keep your child's mouth clean, rinse your mouth after meals, eat less frozen food, and less puffed junk food. Some children with poor spleen and stomach function should pay attention to dietary taboos, eat more vegetables, and rinse their mouth with light salt water before going to bed.