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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffGeographic tongue typically doesn't require any medical treatment. Although geographic tongue can sometimes cause tongue discomfort, it's otherwise a harmless condition. If you have ongoing or excessive pain, talk to your doctor. Your doctor may suggest or prescribe medications to help reduce your discomfort, including:
- Over-the-counter pain relievers
- Anti-inflammatory medications
- Mouth rinses with a topical anesthetic
- Topical corticosteroids
- Zinc supplements
However, none of these treatments has been proved to be effective for everyone. Geographic tongue usually gets better on its own within months, which may lead you to believe an unproven treatment has worked. Geographic tongue can last a year or more, though, and it may come back after a period of remission.
- Shulman JD, et al. Prevalence and risk factors associated with geographic tongue among U.S. adults. Oral Diseases. 2006;12:381-386.
- Assimakopoulos D, et al. Benign migratory glossitis or geographic tongue: An enigmatic oral lesion. American Journal of Medicine. 2002;113:751-755.
- Jainkittivong A, et al. Geographic tongue: Clinical characteristics of 188 cases. The Journal of Contemporary Dental Practice. 2005;6(1):123-135.
- Gonsalves W, et al. Common oral lesions: Part I. Superficial mucosal lesions. American Family Physician. 2007;75:501-507.
