Expert Shares Why Cleaning Your Tongue Twice Daily Is Important

When your doctor asks you to stick out your tongue and say “aaah,” they’re not just examining your throat—they’re also assessing your tongue, as it can provide important insights into your health.

The doctor checks for changes in your tongue’s appearance or movement, which can signal mouth problems or reflect your overall health and immunity. However, you don’t have to wait for a doctor’s visit—cleaning your tongue twice daily lets you monitor its condition while also freshening your breath.

A Vital Muscular Organ with Unique Features

The tongue is essential for eating, speaking, and other vital functions. It’s not a single muscle but a muscular organ made up of eight pairs of muscles that allow movement. Its surface is covered with tiny bumps called papillae, which create a rough texture.

While often mistaken for taste buds, papillae are not the same. Out of 200,000-300,000 papillae, only a small portion contains taste buds. Adults have up to 10,000 taste buds, mostly concentrated at the tip, sides, and back of the tongue, and they’re invisible to the naked eye.

A healthy tongue is typically pink, though the exact shade can vary between individuals, ranging from light to dark pink.

A slight white coating is normal, but noticeable changes or discoloration could signal a health issue or disease.

Quick and Easy Tongue Cleaning

Cleaning your tongue takes just 10-15 seconds and is a simple way to monitor your health, easily fitting into your brushing routine. You can clean it by gently scrubbing with a regular toothbrush to remove food debris and prevent microbial buildup on its rough surface.

Alternatively, you can use a tongue scraper—a curved tool made of metal or plastic. It can be used alone or along with brushing. Plus, your co-workers will appreciate it—cleaning your tongue helps fight bad breath, especially since tongue scrapers are effective at removing odor-causing bacteria from its surface.

While cleaning your tongue twice a day, you may notice something unusual. Recognizing these signs is the first step. If any changes concern you, it’s best to consult your doctor.

Here’s what your tongue could be indicating.

A white coating on the tongue is a common change in healthy individuals, often occurring if you stop brushing or scraping it for a few days. This buildup is caused by accumulated food debris and microbes, leading to plaque. Gently scrubbing or scraping the tongue removes this coating, reducing microbes and lowering the risk of chronic infections that can spread to other organs and lead to serious health issues.

Identifying Oral Thrush

This could be a sign of oral thrush, a fungal infection that leaves the surface raw when scrubbed. Oral thrush is common in elderly individuals taking multiple medications or those with diabetes. It can also affect children and young adults after an illness, due to temporary immune suppression or antibiotic use.

If diagnosed with oral thrush, a doctor will typically prescribe anti-fungal medication for at least a month.

Smoking or consuming heavily pigmented foods and drinks—like tea, coffee, or turmeric-laden dishes—can lead to a furry appearance known as black hairy tongue. This isn’t actual hair but rather an overgrowth of bacteria, which may signal poor oral hygiene.

Pink patches with a white border can give your tongue a map-like appearance, a condition known as “geographic tongue.” The exact cause of this condition is unknown, and it typically does not require treatment.

A red, sore tongue may signal various issues, including:

• Nutritional deficiencies like folic acid or vitamin B12
• Conditions such as pernicious anemia, Kawasaki disease, and scarlet fever
• Inflammation called glossitis
• Injury from hot foods or beverages
• Ulcers, including cold sores and canker sores
• Burning mouth syndrome.

Many medications can lead to dry mouth, or xerostomia. This includes antidepressants, antipsychotics, muscle relaxants, pain relievers, antihistamines, and diuretics. Severe dryness may cause discomfort.

White or red patches on the tongue that cannot be scraped off, are persistent, or are increasing in size, along with painless ulcers, should be examined by a dental professional as soon as possible, as they have a higher risk of developing into cancer compared to other areas of the mouth.

Oral cancers have low survival rates due to late detection, and their incidence is increasing. Therefore, it’s essential to regularly check your tongue for changes in color, texture, sore spots, or ulcers.

Read the original article on: Science Alert

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