Everyone at least once had the opportunity to notice some unpleasant looking discolorations on their tongue. Most of them usually disappear after a few days, however some remain with us longer. Most often we deal with white, black, green, yellow and purple discolorations. Why do they appear and how to fight them?
Why does our tongue change color?
An unfavorable-looking plaque on the tongue can appear for several reasons. The most common are improper oral hygiene, stimulants (especially smoking), a diet conducive to tongue staining (consumption of foods with a large number of dyes), as well as diseases of external organs.
The tongue of a healthy person should be pink in color, and its surface should be smooth and moist. While changes in the appearance of the tongue caused by poor oral hygiene or the consumption of colored foods can be quickly corrected, problems caused by stimulants or diseases of the external organs usually require a visit to the dentist’s office and specialized treatment. In addition, in the case of such a source of the problem, in addition to the change in the color of the tongue, we often have to deal with its pain, burning, as well as roughness and swelling.
White residue on the tongue
The most common of all, white plaque appears on the tongue. It doesn’t always have to be a sign of a serious disease – sometimes it can be caused by dehydration, improper hygiene or the use of certain mouthwashes (especially those containing hydrogen peroxide). Sometimes a delicate white plaque may appear due to drinking strong coffee or tea or taking antibiotics.
White plaque, which is associated with serious diseases, is usually more intense, clearly visible, and resembles curdled milk. This type of plaque can be disturbing, especially if it is not concentrated only on the tongue, but also covers the throat or palate, and is accompanied by pain. Similar symptoms are given by, for example, oral mycosis. It occurs as a result of the development of diabetes, immunodeficiency or antibiotic therapy.
Other serious systemic diseases that may cause white plaque on the tongue include:
- anemia,
- tonsillitis,
- gastrointestinal diseases,
- typhoid fever,
- upper respiratory tract infections,
- syphilis,
- scarlet fever,
- changes associated with oral cancer formation.
