Even though you bite it and burn it, your tongue usually doesn’t give you any lip. So you might be a little freaked out to look in the mirror and see red patches with raised white borders. Easy does it: you probably just have benign migratory glossitis,a.k.a. geographic tongue, a non-life-threatening condition that “gives your tongue the appearance of a map,” says Eric Stoopler, an associate professor of oral medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Why the atlas in your oral cavity? No one’s sure, though it has been associated with psoriasis and stress. Maintain good oral hygiene, and the patches should vanish in a week or two, although they may recur, says Dr. Stoopler. If you experience any swelling, itching or stinging, say “aah” for your dentist, who can…
