There are teeth marks on my tongue when I wake up in the morning

When you wake up in the morning, if there are tooth marks on your tongue, this is also called a tongue with tooth marks. Generally speaking, from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, this is due to spleen deficiency and inability to transport water and dampness. The dampness obstructs the tongue and causes it to become enlarged, which in turn causes the teeth to be squeezed and form tooth marks. On the other hand, it may also be due to relaxation of the tongue muscles, which is caused by physical qi deficiency. Let’s learn about this aspect.

Why do I have teeth marks on my tongue when I wake up in the morning?

Tongue with tooth marks is mostly caused by an enlarged tongue that is compressed by the edge of the teeth. Therefore, tongue with tooth marks is often seen together with enlarged tongue. It is mostly caused by spleen deficiency and is the main symptom of deficiency syndrome. If the tongue is pale and moist, it means the spleen is weak and cold and dampness are excessive. The cause of tongue with tooth marks is mostly due to spleen deficiency which is unable to transport and transform water and dampness. The dampness is blocked in the tongue and causes the tongue to become fat, which is squeezed by the teeth and forms tooth marks. Therefore, tooth marks are often seen together with a fat and tender tongue. On the one hand, the edema of the tongue indicates spleen yang deficiency and excessive dampness. On the other hand, the relaxation of the tongue muscles and insufficient opening of the mouth indicate spleen qi deficiency.

Clinical manifestations

——Pale white, moist and with tooth marks, belongs to excessive cold and dampness; ——Pale red with tooth marks, belongs to spleen deficiency or Qi deficiency; ——Red and swollen all over the mouth, with tooth marks on the edges, mostly belongs to stagnation of damp heat and phlegm; In short, it can be divided into two types: Qi deficiency and Yang deficiency: ⑴ Qi deficiency type: spleen deficiency, main symptoms: pale tongue, thin white tongue coating, plump and tender tongue, tooth marks on the edges of the tongue, pale or sallow complexion, shortness of breath and laziness to speak, heavy head and swollen body, fatigue, spontaneous sweating, decreased appetite, abdominal distension after eating, nausea and vomiting, loose stools, and weak pulse. Treatment principle: tonify the middle and replenish Qi. ⑵ Yang deficiency type: Main symptoms: pale tongue, moist and slippery tongue surface, round, plump and tender tongue with teeth marks on the edges. Pale or dark complexion, fatigue, lethargy and love of lying down, bland mouth without thirst, poor appetite, cold pain in the abdomen, relieved by warmth, cold stomach and limbs, clear urine and loose stools, or edema, and a deep and weak pulse. Treatment principle: spicy and warm to tonify Yang.

Pathological changes

Pathological Research Qian also used optical microscopy and electron microscopy to compare and examine the tissue and cell morphology of the convex and concave parts of the scalloped tongue and the normal tongue edge, and believed that the main pathological changes of the scalloped tongue are:

⑴The epithelial layer becomes thinner. The epithelial layer is thickest in the normal tongue, followed by the concave part, and thinnest in the convex part, which may be related to local nutritional status; ⑵ Changes in the rough endoplasmic reticulum. In the basal layer and spinous cell layer, the rough endoplasmic reticulum is reduced, expanded, and ribosomes are lost. These manifestations indicate dysfunction of rough endoplasmic reticulum protein synthesis, which is one of the manifestations of cell damage; ⑶ tension filaments are reduced. The tension filaments of the scalloped tongue are reduced, the intercellular spaces between the spinous cells and the basal layer are enlarged and present a sparse mesh-like shape, and the desmosomes of the digital papillae are reduced, indicating that the cells of the scalloped tongue are poorly connected; (⑷) Edema of the cell tissue. It is mainly due to local lack of nutrition that increases the permeability of cell membranes, causing water to overflow from blood vessels and penetrate into cells. On the other hand, lymphatic return is poor and cannot carry away excess water; ⑸ Lack of elastic fibers. The lack of this fiber reduces the tolerance to pulling, so it becomes jagged due to the pressure of the teeth.