An unhealthy tongue. If your tongue is a different colour than pink, or has large patches of white, brown, black, or another colour, this might indicate a specific health issue. Similarly, if you have large bumps or no bumps at all, you may also want to speak to a doctor.
For clues about problems in your mouth, stick out your tongue and look in the mirror. A healthy tongue should be pink and covered with small nodules (papillae). Any deviation from your tongue's normal appearance, or any pain, may be cause for concern.
Common tongue diseases and problems include canker sores, thrush, oral lichen planus, and tongue trauma. Other problems or conditions that can impact the tongue include tongue cancer, transient lingual papillitis, geographic tongue, vitamin B12 deficiency, Sjögren's syndrome, neuralgia, and allergic reactions.
Your tongue thrives on iron-rich foods, which include leafy greens like spinach as well as red meats, seafood, and poultry. To further fight against harmful bacteria in the mouth, foods with anti-microbial components like chopped onions, ginger, garlic, and coconuts can also give your tongue a health boost.
Saliva is your body's natural way of removing harmful bacteria from the mouth that can cause tooth decay, halitosis (bad breath), and more. Therefore, to keep your tongue in good shape, try to drink around two liters of water per day.
Geographic tongue, fissured tongue, and hairy tongue are the most common tongue problems and do not require treatment.
Deficiencies in B6 or B12 may lead to a swollen, sore or yellow tongue, along with teeth indentations and fissures on the surface of the tongue. Iron: An iron deficiency can lead to a swollen tongue and painful sores in the mouth. The tongue will also appear pale and smooth due to the lack of haemoglobin in the blood.
Furthermore, muscles such as the masseter (mastication muscle) are activated during stress and several aspects of saliva are changed (e.g., cortisol levels, flow rates) [6]. As a result, any of these changes could potentially contribute to the increase of purple color in the tongue.
White tongue is the result of an overgrowth and swelling of the fingerlike projections (papillae) on the surface of your tongue. The appearance of a white coating is caused by debris, bacteria and dead cells getting lodged between the enlarged and sometimes inflamed papillae.
A healthy tongue is pink in color. If your tongue color is white, yellow, orange, red, black, purple, gray, green or blue, it could mean you have an underlying health condition. If you have tongue discoloration that doesn't go away, tell your healthcare provider.
Signs of your body undergoing excessive stress can show up on your tongue as unusual redness, sores, and ulcers. Also, if your tongue appears to have marks around the edges, that could signify consistently biting your tongue as a reaction to stress.
Most often, yellow tongue is an early sign of a disorder known as black hairy tongue. Rarely, yellow tongue may be a sign of jaundice, a yellowing of the eyes and skin, which sometimes indicates liver or gallbladder problems.
A white tongue involves having a thick white film coating your tongue. The coating can cover your entire tongue's surface, the back part only or it might appear in patches. A white tongue can look alarming, but it's usually just a sign of trapped bacteria, debris (like food and sugar) or dead cells on your tongue.
B12 deficiency will also make the tongue sore and beefy-red in color. Glossitis, by causing swelling of the tongue, may also cause the tongue to appear smooth.
Pernicious anemia causes the tongue's surface to look smooth and appear red instead of the pinkish color of a normal tongue. The tongue might also appear thick or beefy in texture. Some tongues might even be swollen or seem to have cracks.
Papillary atrophy is an important finding characteristics of vitamin B 12 deficiency. Tongues with vitamin B 12 deficiency have a smooth, glossy appearance with a red or pink background.
Glossitis refers to inflammation of the tongue and has numerous potential etiologies. While most causes are benign or idiopathic, glossitis can be the presenting symptom of more serious systemic conditions.
Oral Lichen Planus: This oral autoimmune disease occurs when the immune system attacks the mucous membranes inside your mouth, according to The Mayo Clinic. It will appear as lacy white patches, sometimes accompanied by painful sores on the lining of the cheeks, tongue, and gums.
Crunchy fresh fruits and veggies, including apples, pears, carrots and celery, help produce saliva, which cleans out the odor-producing bacteria in your mouth. Plus, they're rich in fiber, so they act as natural toothbrushes as you eat.
Do you really need to clean your tongue using your toothbrush and toothpaste? You certainly do. Fluoride toothpaste can clean your tongue just as effectively as cleaning your teeth.
A very irritated mouth, which may result from brushing your tongue too much or too hard, using abrasive toothpastes, overusing mouthwashes, or having too many acidic foods or drinks. Dentures that don't fit well may cause irritation that can make symptoms worse.