Contents:
- Medical Video: Your Tongue Color Can Reveal At Least 13 Health Problems
- If the tongue has a white or white spot
- If the color of the tongue is deep red
- If the tongue is black and hairy
- If the tongue is sore or bumpy
- Take care of your teeth, mouth and tongue health!
Medical Video: Your Tongue Color Can Reveal At Least 13 Health Problems
The tongue has many nerves that help detect and send taste signals to the brain, such as sweet, sour, bitter and salty. The tongue is very important for chewing, swallowing food, and talking.
A healthy tongue is a tongue that is pink and covered by the papilla. Because you always use your tongue to talk, eat or drink, then you need to maintain a healthy tongue so that you don't experience problems that can interfere with your comfort. Although most tongue problems are not serious and can be dealt with quickly, however, you still need to know what problems can occur on the tongue.
Uniquely, the color of your tongue can show what interference is experienced by the tongue.
If the tongue has a white or white spot
There are several things that can cause the tongue to have white or white spots, including:
- Sprue. Occurs due to fungal infections that develop in the mouth. This condition can be experienced by everyone, but it is more common in people who use steroid type drugs or with a weak immune system.
- Oral lichen planus. It is a white line that appears on your tongue, which can be shaped like a lace. This condition usually improves on its own, especially if you are taking care of good dental hygiene, avoiding tobacco, and reducing foods that interfere with your mouth.
- Leukoplakia. It is a condition in which cells in the mouth grow excessively, which causes white patches on the tongue and in the mouth. Although benign and harmless, this condition can develop into oral cancer. So if you have this condition, you need to consult with a dentist to find out the cause and get the right treatment.
If the color of the tongue is deep red
There are several possibilities that occur if your pinkish tongue becomes bright red:
- Vitamin deficiency. Lack of folic acid and vitamin B-12 can cause your tongue to experience redness.
- Geographic tongue (geographic tongue) is a condition of abnormalities on the surface of the tongue, which is characterized by the appearance of thin, whitish pink papillae that resemble the image of islands and cover the surface of the tongue.
- Scarlet fever. An infection that causes the tongue to look like a strawberry (red and wavy).
- Kawasaki disease. It also causes a strawberry-like tongue accompanied by fever, as well as swelling or redness of the hands and feet.
If the tongue is black and hairy
Just like hair, the papilla on your tongue also grows throughout your life. In some people, papillae grow long and tend to carry bacteria. If it grows, the papilla will look dark and black, so that it resembles hair. This condition usually occurs in people who do not practice dental and oral hygiene properly. People who use antibiotics, undergo chemotherapy, and diabetics are more likely to experience this condition.
If the tongue is sore or bumpy
A painful lump on the tongue can be caused by:
- A tongue that is accidentally bitten can cause pain in the tongue.
- Excessive smoking can irritate the tongue and make it painful.
- Oral cancer. Lumps or pain in your tongue that does not disappear within two weeks can be an indication of oral cancer.
Take care of your teeth, mouth and tongue health!
To prevent the occurrence of problems on the tongue, you need to maintain healthy teeth and mouth, one of them by brushing your teeth and tongue. You also need to look at the condition of your tongue on a regular basis, so that if something is found wrong, you can immediately find out and immediately go to the doctor to find out the cause and how to treat it properly.
