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The tongue is the organ responsible for the sensation of taste, but it is also actively involved in chewing food. Although it may seem that the structure of a language is quite simple, in fact it must have an appropriate structure to fulfill its role. What is the structure of the language? What are the functions of the language? What are the most common diseases of the tongue?
Language and its functions
The main function of the tongue is to perceive tastes. The taste buds on the surface of the tongue let you feel sweet, salty, sour and bitter tastes.
The second function, just as important, is to ingest, chew and grind food. It could be safely said that teeth are responsible for this function, but does the tongue not support this process? It is the tongue that helps mix the food with the saliva and translates the bits of food towards the esophagus.
It should also not be forgotten that the language is an organ that takes an active part in the production of speech. Depending on the movement of the language, we can pronounce specific sounds.
Language – external structure
The tongue consists of striated muscles and is covered with a mucosa. The average length of the tongue is about 10 cm, from the nasopharynx to the end of this organ. We can distinguish three parts that make up the tongue, namely: the root of the tongue, the shaft of the tongue and the tip of the tongue.
The root of the tongue is located deep inside the mouth. The body of the tongue is separated from the root by a V-shaped border furrow. Moreover, on the upper part of the tongue there is a median furrow that divides the organ into a right part and a left part. On the very back of the tongue, there are lymphatic tissues that make up the lingual tonsil. On the lower part of the tongue, we can see a fold of skin called the frenulum. This frenulum attaches the tongue to the lower part of the mouth.
The upper part of the tongue does not have a homogeneous structure. We can distinguish thread warts – responsible for grinding and mixing food, surrounding warts, leaf and mycosis warts. The latter three act as receptors and are responsible for the taste we feel.
In addition to numerous papillae, there are also glands on the surface of the tongue – serous glands, posterior and lateral lingual glands, and mixed glands.
Language – internal structure
The tongue is an organ that has a very wide range of movements. Its function requires it. Therefore, the tongue must be able to rise, retract, fall, protrude, narrow, and also flatten. All this is due to the numerous external and internal muscles. The external muscles are located in the area of the mandible and hyoid bone. The internal muscles include the upper and lower longitudinal muscles, the transverse muscles and the vertical muscles. It is thanks to them that the tongue is an organ so efficient.
Tongue – very sensitive organ
When we bite our tongue, we feel very bad pain. All thanks to the strong vascularization and innervation of this organ. Inside the tongue is the lingual artery and arterial branches that are responsible for the organ’s vascularization. The sublingual nerve, lingual nerve, superior laryngeal nerve and fibers from the vagus nerve are responsible for the innervation of the tongue. Thanks to this, we feel it so well as soon as it is slightly damaged. The taste stimuli are perceived by the tympanic structure and the nerve of the pharyngeal tongue.
Diseases of the tongue
The most common disease that affects this organ is glossitis. The main symptoms are redness and pain felt when eating and swallowing. The reason may be vitamin deficiency, iron deficiency, but also diabetes.
White spots on the tongue may be a symptom of tinea mycosis. It may be caused by decreased immunity, caused by taking medications, but also by HIV infection. Any changes that appear on the surface of the tongue, as well as numbness, stinging or bleeding, should therefore not be underestimated. Lumps and ulcers of various kinds may be a symptom of tongue cancer.
Read more:
- When the tongue is sick
- Geographic language – causes, symptoms, treatment
Sometimes the main symptom of tongue disease is bad breath. We should also pay attention to this and see a doctor for a diagnosis.
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