Anxiety can sometimes show up in unexpected physical ways, including tongue scalloping, muscle tension, and jaw clenching. This process is known as somatization.
The scalloped tongue is the silent witness to your nervous system’s state. It’s a condition in which the sides of the tongue have wave-like indentations. It can also be known by the name lingua indentata, crenated tongue, or pie crust tongue.
However, tongue scalloping isn’t harmful on its own, but it can be a sign that something else is going on. It’s better to get help from a mental health specialist, as the treatments help the scalloping go away.In this article, you will get to know what a scalloped tongue is, its connection with anxiety, symptoms, causes, and when it is time to seek professional help.
What is a Scalloped Tongue?
A scalloped tongue looks like it is rippled along the edges of the tongue. It often happens when your tongue swells and presses against your teeth over time. It is often harmless, but in some cases, it causes issues like swelling, airway problems, or chronic clenching. People with this condition are more likely to bite their tongues when eating accidentally. These ridges on the side of the tongue can affect people of any age.
How Does Anxiety Affect Your Tongue?
Anxiety has a profound impact on our lives. It causes individuals to experience mental, emotional, and physical symptoms. This may lead to a tingling feeling, numbness, or swelling in the tongue. Individuals with anxiety tongue may also experience swelling, muscle spasms, or burning sensations. Anxiety may also trigger para-functional habits like jaw clenching or tongue pressing.
It is an emotional response that is linked to the stress response. When an individual senses a real or imagined threat, their body activates to respond to the threat following the fight-or-flight response. The excessive stress leads to restricted blood flow, and the tongue may start feeling different.
The Anxiety Loop
Individuals in this particular state remain in the loop of anxiety. If they notice the scalloping in the mirror, they become more stressed. This extreme stress leads them to clench their jaw or push their tongue firmly against their teeth. It increases pressure and eventually worsens the condition.
Signs to Recognize Scallop Tongue
Anxiety can severely impact overall well-being, such as oral health. Here are some of the symptoms to recognize this condition:
- Habitually pressing the tongue against the back of the teeth.
- Teeth grinding, which forces the tongue against the teeth.
- Persistent unpleasant bad breath.
- Dry mouth.
- Muscle Tension.
- Changes in taste.
- Blazing sensation.
- Uncontrolled sucking moves.
- Excessive tooth pain.
- Pain in the gums.
Other Risk Factors of Scalloped Tongue
Scallop tongue usually occurs due to various reasons. This condition does not usually occur due to anxiety; there are other possible causes as well. These include:
1. Sleep Disorder
People who are experiencing sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, bruxism, and teeth clenching, may experience problems with the tongue. Sleep disorders may cause individuals to press their tongue down against their teeth to open up the airways. This can lead to a scalloped tongue.
2. Environmental Factors
Excessive stress, trauma, and dehydration may also lead to the development of a tongue with scalloping. As excessive stress triggers teeth grinding and jaw clenching, it pushes the tongue outwards and causes issues with the tongue.
3. TMJ Disorders
Temporomandibular Join disorders can lead to a scalloped tongue, as it is associated with jaw misalignment or pain. It often causes the tongue to press constantly against the teeth for stability. However, the resulting chronic pressure creates the characteristic indentations, also known as crenated tongue or lingua indentata.
4. Nutritional Deficiencies
Sometimes, a scalloped tongue can be a sign of nutritional deficiencies, such as vitamins, minerals, protein, and fats. If the body is not getting enough of certain vitamins, it leads to issues with the tongue. However, it is essential to have a balanced and nutritious diet to keep the tongue and the rest of your body healthy.
5. Substance Abuse
Excessive intake of substances like smoking not only increases inflammation in the body but also leads to the risk of dehydration. These factors cause issues with the tongue and lead to tongue scalloping.
6. Biological Factors
Excessive stress or birth defects, such as Down syndrome, congenital hypothyroidism, and Apert syndrome, can also contribute to the development of this condition.
It runs in families; if anyone in the family has experienced this condition, there is a high chance that you may also develop it. Each of these conditions has unique symptoms, but a common one is tongue swelling, which may lead to a tingling tongue.
How to Diagnose Anxiety Scalloped Tongue?
To diagnose this condition, a mental health professional reviews the family and medical history and performs blood tests to rule out the exact condition. However, a mental health expert focuses on identifying the underlying stress-related mechanisms or other conditions like sleep apnea or hypothyroidism.They conduct one-to-one interview sessions with the person who is experiencing this condition. A specialist does some questionnaires about your stress levels, sleep habits, diet, and overall health, then examines your tongue and teeth, and looks for signs of bruxism. They also get tests to check the vitamin levels or thyroid functioning.
How is Anxiety Tongue Treated?
Treatment of anxiety scalopped tongue is possible. Managing the anxiety can help in reducing the symptoms of tongue and other anxiety-related mouth sensations. Anxiety treatments are often a combination of medication and psychotherapy, and can only be recommended by a mental health professional. They rule out the exact cause and recommend treatments that are tailored to your unique symptoms. Anti-anxiety medications are considered to be helpful for this condition.
Psychotherapies
Psychotherapy is a talk therapy in which the person who is suffering talks with a mental health professional about their issues. A mental health professional helps in changing the behaviors, offering relief from issues like anxiety.
1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
CBT is an evidence-based treatment that has proven effective for treating anxiety associated with a scalloped tongue. It is a type of talking therapy that is based on the principle that thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interconnected. CBT targets unsettling thoughts that lead to physical tension, such as a scalloped tongue, and changes those thoughts into helpful ones.
2. Psychodynamic Therapy
It is a non-cognitive behavioral intervention that helps explore the individual’s past experiences. A mental health professional helps find the link between the present emotions and behaviors.
However, short-term psychodynamic therapy (STPP) has significant benefits in managing the symptoms of anxiety. It helps that a person’s unconscious emotions & dictate their current thoughts and sentiments. It helps by addressing underlying psychological causes like anxiety, which often lead to physical habits such as tongue thrusting.
3. Family Therapy
In family therapy, the therapist involves the family members in the therapeutic process. They help to enhance communication among the members of the family. This therapy indirectly supports the treatment of a scalloped tongue by addressing underlying psychological causes, such as stress and anxiety. Moreover, families learn to help the patient deal with the symptoms of anxiety scalloped tongue.
4. Group Therapy
Group therapy helps reduce feelings of loneliness and provides a sense of belonging and togetherness. It involves a secure, stable, and caring environment where a small group of people gather together and share their life journey with each other.It can play a supportive role in managing underlying causes, anxiety, or other related habits like teeth grinding (bruxism) or tongue thrusting. Group therapy provides a structure in our lives and makes us learn, heal, and grow. It’s an evidence-based modality that can be helpful for people in many ways.
Healing the Mind to Heal the Tongue
Do you often subconsciously press your tongue against your teeth, especially when feeling tense or worried? It can be anxiety scalloped tongue.Don’t worry, help is available!At Inland Empire Behavioral Group, you will get compassionate care and personalized treatments. Whether you are experiencing anxiety scalloped tongue, depression, OCD, or any other mental health disorder, we are here to help. You can get your treatments in a safe and nurturing environment, and live a happy, fulfilling life. We provide holistic care therapies to improve your social, psychological, and emotional well-being. Book your consultations now!
