Mouth tension
causes scallops

The throat chakra governs expression - speaking one's truth - and there are several reasons why someone might hold back. They may have fear or anxiety (Vata), be overly self critical (Pitta), or under-confident (Kapha). Whatever the reason for self-censorship, healthy self expression is essential. Start by relaxing jaw muscles, including the lips, jaw, tongue, epiglottis, vocal chords, and finally neck and shoulders. To relax the lips tense them first, then release. To relax your tongue, press it against your teeth, then let it relax. To relax your jaw, clench it, then relax it. To relax the epiglottis, swallow and hold, then release the swallow. To relax the neck and shoulders tense them up first then release them. Contraction and release exercises help you regain conscious control over these muscles. Finally, release tension in vocal chords through singing. As you sing, try to relax all the tension in your vocal chords, letting the breath move smoothly. Singing is a great way to improve self-expression.

Before I studied Ayurveda, I had severe tension in my jaw muscles, causing a scalloped tongue, teeth grinding, and TMJ, a painful joint condition of the jaw. I even dislodged the disc between my jaw line and my skull, and could hardly open my mouth. Practicing contraction and release of the jaw muscles, then holding them in a relaxed position, helped me realize that behind my TMJ and scalloped tongue was not only fear of self-expression, but fear of choking on foods. When I relaxed my jaw, I felt this fear clearly, and it was overwhelming. I practiced contraction and release of these muscles, and slowly my jaw began to relax.

The throat chakra also governs thyroid function. This is why so many people with hypothyroid also have a scalloped tongue. To avoid hypothyroidism, and teeth marks on the edges of your tongue - try improving healthy communication skills!

Macroglossia can be due to water retention, poor circulation, or lymphatic congestion as well (Kapha type) due to poor metabolism and thickening of the blood. Kapha type tongue swelling may also be due to hypothyroidism.

Glossitis can be due to inflammation in the GI tract moving upwards into the tongue (urdhva gati Pitta in anna vaha srotas). What happens below in the GI tract, often happens above as well. When your intestines are inflamed and swollen, your tongue may become swollen, causing teeth marks. Glossitis may come from systemic inflammation or high Pitta due to other non-digestive related causes as well. An example is high bilirubin in the blood.

If your tongue is swollen, check to see if you have any pain anywhere in the digestive tract by palpating from your stomach down to your colon. Pain or tenderness may imply inflammation of the intestines. If you experience gas or bloating regularly, that may indicate malabsorption. Do you have swollen ankles? This could imply water retention. Then take steps to heal each of these conditions, and your tongue swelling may diminish.

In Ayurveda, a swollen tongue would be referred to as sira granthi in anna vaha srotas. Sira granthi means a dilation, growth or swelling. Anna vaha srotas simply means the entire GI tract (food carrying channel). The cause of sira granthi in anna vaha srotas is low agni (poor digestion or low metabolism) and the treatment approach would be to build your digestive capacity through herbs like chitrak and practices such as making sure you are well hydrated when you sit down to eat.