My girlfriend started noticing some odd "dents\craters" on her tongue 2 days ago. It started out as 3 separate pea to dime sized "craters" 1 on the side of her tongue and 2 on the tip of the tongue. After a day the two front craters joined and expanded into one large crater that takes up the majority of the top part of the tip of her tongue. After the second day, all 3 have conjoined and its now 1 big crater on her tongue that takes up pretty much the outside\top 15% of her tongue. It is slightly red and she says it is slightly painful at times. She has a lot of family history of Thyroid issues. We are trying not to get ideas in our heads and worry about too much. We are just looking for some ideas as too what this could be. These craters are not fissured or scalloping teeth marks. They look similar to "craters" on the moon I suppose, except they are elongated instead of circular.
The appearance of geographic tongue usually appears as depressed, smooth (sometimes rough or crater like) patches on the tongue. The specific cause of geographic tongue is unknown but has been linked with various conditions including psoriasis or other skin disorders, allergies or autoimmune disorders, anaemia, zinc and vitamin B deficiencies, diabetes, stress, birth control pills, hormonal changes.