Contents:
- Medical Video: Black Tongue Medical Course
- What are the causes of yellow tongue color?
- 1. Poor dental hygiene
- 2. Smoking
- 3. Mouthwash containing oxidizing agents
- 4. Take certain medicines
- 5. Hairy black tongue syndrome
- 6. Geographic tongue
- 7. Yellow sore
Medical Video: Black Tongue Medical Course
The normal color of the tongue is pink with a little bright white coating on it. If the color of the tongue is yellow, this can be caused by a variety of things - from the temporary and harmless, to the more serious and require medical treatment.Below are a number of reasons why the color of the tongue can turn yellow, which you may never realize.
What are the causes of yellow tongue color?
1. Poor dental hygiene
The most common cause of yellow tongue is the buildup of dead skin cells and bacteria between the papillae. This is not a sign of serious illness, but rather is caused by poor dental hygiene. You can try brushing the tongue gently with a tongue scouring tool, gargling and multiply drinking water to remove the yellow layer.
2. Smoking
Chemicals in tobacco smoke can make your tongue turn yellow.
3. Mouthwash containing oxidizing agents
Using mouthwash containing peroxide, witch hazel, or menthol can change the color of your tongue.
4. Take certain medicines
Some antibiotics can cause the yellow tongue due to microbial imbalance, which causes bacteria or yeast to multiply in the mouth. If this happens, yeast or bacteria can accumulate on the tongue and cause the tongue to turn yellow. Pepto-Bismol and other medicines containing bismuth can also change the color of your tongue which ranges from yellow to black.
Certain drugs such as drugs for Sjogren's syndrome and diabetes, as well as radiation therapy and chemotherapy can make the mouth dry. Dry mouth is a risk factor for yellow tongue.
5. Hairy black tongue syndrome
Black feathered tongue is a temporary and painless, oral disorder. This harmless condition occurs when the nodules (papilla) that line the tip and both sides of your tongue grow bigger. The size of a papilla that is longer than usual can easily trap dead skin cells and oral bacteria, which then become mixed with tobacco residues, food scraps, or other substances. Even though it's called a black tongue, your tongue can turn yellow or other before it turns black.
6. Geographic tongue
Geographical tongue is a condition of the structure of the tongue that makes the surface of the tongue not covered evenly by the papilla. As a result, the surface of the tongue looks like a random and irregular red "baldness" area. There is usually a wavy white line next to the red patch, but it can also be yellow. Sometimes, this condition causes pain.
7. Yellow sore
Jaundice is a condition in which the color of your skin and the white part of your eyes turn yellow. Jaundice is caused by damage to the liver so that it cannot properly treat residual bilirubin substances. Bilirubin is a yellow pigment that is produced when red blood cells are damaged. When bilirubin builds up in the blood, skin, eyes, and your tongue can turn yellow.
