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You may not have realised just how important your tongue is but it not only helps you to speak, eat, chew and swallow food, but may also reveal the state of your health. Eastern medicine practitioners believe that the tongue reflects diseases that may be present in the body.
A healthy tongue is slightly pink in colour, moist and fairly smooth. Changes in the look and feel of your tongue could be related to the tongue itself or to another health problem. While some tongue changes are harmless, others could be of serious concern.
What could your tongue be telling you? Here are some of the most common tongue problems:
• Black, hairy tongue
A black-coated tongue is the result of an overgrowth of oral bacteria and yeast, which attach to the papillae (the tiny projections of the tongue) and cause discolouration. Growth of the papillae may also make the tongue appear hairy. Fortunately, this is a harmless condition that can be cleared up by brushing your tongue and rinsing your mouth with diluted hydrogen peroxide. If the problem persists, consult your dentist or doctor.
• White tongue
A white-coated tongue or white spots on your tongue can be caused by dehydration, excessive mouth breathing, oral thrush, leukoplakia (a condition in which the cells of the mouth grows excessively) and oral lichen planus (a network of raised white lines on the tongue). To prevent or improve the appearance of a white tongue, brush your teeth regularly, drink lots of water and increase your intake of dietary fibre.
• Fissured tongue
One or more shallow or deep grooves form on the surface and extend to the edges of the tongue. The condition isn't painful unless food gets trapped in the grooves. No specific treatment is necessary. Brush the top surface of your tongue to remove any food that may cause irritation and infection when stuck between the grooves.
• Smooth, pale tongue
A pale tongue could be a sign of a nutritional deficiency. It's mainly caused by a dietary lack of vitamin B12 and may also be the result of iron-deficiency anaemia.
• Red tongue or strawberry tongue
I may be a sign of a folic acid, vitamin B12 and/or vitamin B3 deficiency. Scarlett fever may also cause strawberry tongue (enlarged, red taste buds dotting on the surface). If you have a high fever as well as a red tongue, contact your doctor immediately. Kawasaki disease, which is usually seen in children under the age of five, affects the blood vessels in the body and can also cause strawberry tongue.
• Canker sores on the tongue
A viral ulcer, or "canker sore", may appear on the tongue. This can be painful, but will go away in time. The sore can appear for no reason. However, some doctors believe they're triggered by stress and fatigue.
Keeping your tongue healthy
Cleaning your tongue can help remove food debris, and reduce bacteria build-up and bad breath. It may also improve taste and stimulate the secretion of digestive enzymes. Use a toothbrush to brush the entire surface of your tongue with a clean toothbrush. Apply light pressure from the back of the tongue to the front. Most of the bacteria are at the back of the tongue, which may cause a gag reflux in the beginning.
You can also take a good length of floss and wrap each end around your middle fingers. Apply downward pressure with your index fingers, stick out your tongue and drag the floss from the back to the front several times. Rinse the floss in between scrapings.
Tongue scrapers are the most effective in cleaning the entire surface of the tongue, especially the back. Place the tongue scraper as far back as you can without gagging. Place it at the surface of the tongue and make slow, sweeping strokes from back to front. Start at either side (left/right) and work your way to the other.
Depending on the type of tongue cleaner you're using, you might need to make several strokes across the tongue. Don't leave any gaps when scraping.
It's not necessary to scrape hard as pressing harder doesn't remove more bacteria. Simply press hard enough so that the tongue cleaner makes contact with the surface of your tongue.
A healthy tongue is slightly pink in colour, moist and fairly smooth. Changes in the look and feel of your tongue could be related to the tongue itself or to another health problem. While some tongue changes are harmless, others could be of serious concern.
What could your tongue be telling you? Here are some of the most common tongue problems:
• Black, hairy tongue
A black-coated tongue is the result of an overgrowth of oral bacteria and yeast, which attach to the papillae (the tiny projections of the tongue) and cause discolouration. Growth of the papillae may also make the tongue appear hairy. Fortunately, this is a harmless condition that can be cleared up by brushing your tongue and rinsing your mouth with diluted hydrogen peroxide. If the problem persists, consult your dentist or doctor.
• White tongue
A white-coated tongue or white spots on your tongue can be caused by dehydration, excessive mouth breathing, oral thrush, leukoplakia (a condition in which the cells of the mouth grows excessively) and oral lichen planus (a network of raised white lines on the tongue). To prevent or improve the appearance of a white tongue, brush your teeth regularly, drink lots of water and increase your intake of dietary fibre.
• Fissured tongue
One or more shallow or deep grooves form on the surface and extend to the edges of the tongue. The condition isn't painful unless food gets trapped in the grooves. No specific treatment is necessary. Brush the top surface of your tongue to remove any food that may cause irritation and infection when stuck between the grooves.
• Smooth, pale tongue
A pale tongue could be a sign of a nutritional deficiency. It's mainly caused by a dietary lack of vitamin B12 and may also be the result of iron-deficiency anaemia.
• Red tongue or strawberry tongue
I may be a sign of a folic acid, vitamin B12 and/or vitamin B3 deficiency. Scarlett fever may also cause strawberry tongue (enlarged, red taste buds dotting on the surface). If you have a high fever as well as a red tongue, contact your doctor immediately. Kawasaki disease, which is usually seen in children under the age of five, affects the blood vessels in the body and can also cause strawberry tongue.
• Canker sores on the tongue
A viral ulcer, or "canker sore", may appear on the tongue. This can be painful, but will go away in time. The sore can appear for no reason. However, some doctors believe they're triggered by stress and fatigue.
Keeping your tongue healthy
Cleaning your tongue can help remove food debris, and reduce bacteria build-up and bad breath. It may also improve taste and stimulate the secretion of digestive enzymes. Use a toothbrush to brush the entire surface of your tongue with a clean toothbrush. Apply light pressure from the back of the tongue to the front. Most of the bacteria are at the back of the tongue, which may cause a gag reflux in the beginning.
You can also take a good length of floss and wrap each end around your middle fingers. Apply downward pressure with your index fingers, stick out your tongue and drag the floss from the back to the front several times. Rinse the floss in between scrapings.
Tongue scrapers are the most effective in cleaning the entire surface of the tongue, especially the back. Place the tongue scraper as far back as you can without gagging. Place it at the surface of the tongue and make slow, sweeping strokes from back to front. Start at either side (left/right) and work your way to the other.
Depending on the type of tongue cleaner you're using, you might need to make several strokes across the tongue. Don't leave any gaps when scraping.
It's not necessary to scrape hard as pressing harder doesn't remove more bacteria. Simply press hard enough so that the tongue cleaner makes contact with the surface of your tongue.
