The tongue is one of those things that we all take for granted! As kids you may have explored the world with your tongue, licking everything in sight, and even sticking it out at our parents and siblings just to see their reaction. After growing up a bit, as young adults, we figured that there was more to our tongue while exploring exotic foods, or even your first kiss.
But there is so much more to the tongue than just a random body part, our tongues play an important role in our ability to swallow and taste food. Believe it or not, your tongue can give your dentist clues to both your overall health and your oral health. Actually, you could also be surprised at what your tongue can tell you about your health. So get ready to say, “Ahhhhhhh!”
What Your Tongue Can Tell You About Your Health
1. White Coating on Tongue
Your tongue is usually expected to be a lovely shade of pink. If parts of your tongue seem to be coated by a white substance, this might be oral thrush, a yeast overgrowth that happens inside the oral cavity. However, it just could be whitish from skipping to brush your tongue every time you brush your teeth. If the white goes away after brushing your tongue, you’re good to go.
2. White Patches on Tongue
If the tongue has been irritated due to smoking or tobacco use, a condition called Leukoplakia can happen. Although it’s ultimately up to you, every medical professional,or dentist will advise you to get rid of that tobacco habit. If you see white patches, visit a dentist to be on the safer side, and also rule out oral cancer.
3. Overly Red Tongue
Although an overly red tongue could be a symptom of Kawasaki disease, it’s usually associated with a vitamin deficiency, such as B-12 or folic acid. The solution might be simply including a vitamin supplement to your morning routine. That’s not so bad, is it?
4. Irregular Red Bumpy Patches
If your tongue looks similar to a roughly drawn map of irregular bumpy and red patches, this is a clear sign that you won’t be going on a trip soon. You may be suffering from a high fever, in such a case, taking a long overseas journey is the last thing you should be doing!
5. Tender, Sore Tongue
If your tongue has become overly sensitive in a particular spot, or all over, you could be developing a canker sore, or you have a food allergy. There is nothing to worry about, unless it doesn’t go away soon. Despite allowing a day or two of time, and the problem is still around then it’s time to visit a dentist for a professional opinion!
6. Hairy Tongue
Although it may sound strange, sometimes a protein build-up could result in small bumps becoming elongated, trapping food, causing what seems like strands of hair on your tongue. Usually, tongue scraping or a good brushing will take care of it, but if it still stays, a visit to the dentist is recommended.
Your dentist is the first line of defense against both minor and serious health concerns. So, the next time you visit the dentist, stick your tongue out and get ready for a comprehensive oral checkup. You never know what your tongue could be telling you about your health! You just need to schedule a regular dental check-up, if you have reasons to be worried about your tongue. You will find the best dentist in Bangalore at 1 Health Medical Centre. Upon visiting 1Health you can look forward to hearing from the dentist about what your tongue is telling the doctor about your health. The doctor will prescribe the best treatment if anything out of the ordinary is noticed.
At 1 Health Medical Centre, dentists spend time discussing with their patients’ the different difficulties and problems that they suffer from that are linked to their oral health, and try fixing them by use of numerous procedures. Allow 1Health’s experienced dentists to assess your entire familys’ condition, and work their magic that will give your family members the smile that they've always wanted to flaunt!