A pink tongue is healthy and normal. A red tongue may indicate heat in the body like a fever or a hormonal imbalance. A reddish purple tongue is a sign that there may be inflammation or an infection in the body. A pale pink tongue may be a sign of a vitamin deficiency, a weak immune system or a lack of energy.
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.
But did you also know, the tongue can also provide insight in a person's overall wellness. Your tongue changes color when your body is sick, low on vitamins, or dehydrated. When looking into your mouth, your dentist can quickly check for any health issues just by checking the color of your tongue.
When someone is dehydrated, the tongue appears dry and typically has a white or white-to-yellowish coating. In some cases, the tongue can appear patchy or splotchy. If your tongue commonly sticks to the roof of your mouth, you are dehydrated!
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.
“Normal tongues are pale red with a pale white coating. Heart failure patients have a redder tongue with a yellow coating and the appearance changes as the disease becomes more advanced.”
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.
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.
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.
Several clinical trials investigated tongue features as the symptoms of COVID-19 and found statistically significant differences between COVID-19 patients and healthy people. Red or light red tongue, yellow coating and greasy coating were common in patients with COVID-19.
That may sound strange, but your tongue can tell a lot about your health. For example, a black and hairy looking tongue can signal poor oral hygiene, or diabetes. If your tongue is bright red like a strawberry, it could signal a deficiency in folic acid, vitamin B12, or iron.
Symptoms and Causes of Brown Tongue
Typically, a healthy tongue sheds and regenerates continuously. If that doesn't happen, bacteria and other substances become trapped. This buildup of bacteria can cause your tongue to look brown.
White Patches
It often happens after an illness or medications throw off the balance of bacteria in your mouth. White patches that look lacy could be lichen planus, which means your immune system is attacking the tissues in your mouth.
Conditions that cause inflammation of the gastric lining are known to cause a yellow coating on the tongue. Much research has shown that a thickened, yellow tongue related to persistent gastritis or infection of the stomach lining, in particular while resulting from the Helicobacter pylori microorganism.
Geographic tongue, fissured tongue, and hairy tongue are the most common tongue problems and do not require treatment.
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.
Although the appearance of white tongue may be alarming, the condition is usually harmless and temporary. However, white tongue can be an indication of some serious conditions, ranging from infection to a precancerous condition.
Healthy tongue color is pink, though the specific shades may range from light to dark. A healthy, normal-colored tongue also has small bumps all over its surface. These are papillae. They help you speak, taste, chew and swallow.
Anxiety can cause tingling or numbness in your tongue as well as other changes in your mouth. You may need to talk with a health professional if you have these signs. Anxiety may cause you to experience mental, emotional, and physical symptoms. This may include a tingling feeling, numbness, or swelling in your tongue.
A red tongue is often referred to as strawberry tongue and can indicate a vitamin B-12 deficiency or an iron deficiency. Occasionally, a red tongue may also be a sign of a fever, strep throat, Kawasaki disease, or erythroplakia.
Purple or bluish tongue: This can mean that fluid and blood are not circulating properly. A purple tongue is common in people who suffer from high cholesterol, heart problems, and chronic bronchitis.
You may have trouble breathing, an irregular heartbeat, swollen legs, neck veins that stick out, and sounds from fluid built up in your lungs. Your doctor will check for these and other signs of heart failure. A test called an echocardiogram is often the best test to diagnose your heart failure.