White Coating on Tongue
Your tongue is supposed
to be a lovely shade of pink. If parts of your tongue appear to be
coated with a white substance, this could be oral thrush, a yeast
overgrowth that occurs inside the oral cavity. Of course, it could just
be whitish from not brushing your tongue every time you brush your
teeth. You do that, don’t you? If the white brushes away, you’re good to
go.
White Patches on Tongue
Leukoplakia is a condition that can happen if the tongue has been irritated, such as with smoking or tobacco use. Every medical professional will advise you to quit that tobacco habit, but it’s ultimately up to you. If you see white patches, though, book a dentist appointment to be on the safe side and to rule out oral cancer.
Overly Red Tongue
While an overly red tongue can
be a symptom of a Kawasaki disease, it’s much more commonly associated
with a vitamin deficiency, such as folic acid or B-12. The solution
could be simply adding a vitamin supplement to your morning smoothie.
That’s not so bad, right?
Irregular Red Bumpy Patches
If your tongue looks
like a roughly drawn map of irregular red and bumpy patches, this isn’t
a fortune-teller sign that you’ll be going on a trip soon. You might be
suffering from a high fever, in which case, taking a long journey
overseas is the last thing you should be doing!
Tender, Sore Tongue
If your tongue is overly
sensitive in one spot or all over, you could have a food allergy or a
developing canker sore. Don’t worry about it, unless it doesn’t go away
for a time. After that, time to call in the dentist for a professional
opinion!
Hairy Tongue
Yep, sounds strange, but sometimes a protein build-up can cause small bumps to become elongated trapping food resulting in what looks like strands of hair on your tongue. Usually a good brushing or tongue scraping will take care of it, but if it doesn’t, a trip to the dentist is in order.
Your dentist is the first line of defense against both serious and benign health concerns. So, stick out your tongue at the dentist and be ready for a comprehensive oral checkup. You never know what your tongue might be telling you about your health!