If your eyes are the windows to your soul than your tongue has to be a window to your overall health.
When we think about our visit to your local dental practice we often picture the dentist checking our teeth but never our tongue. It might surprise you to know that during our dental health checks at Smile Essential dental practice the first thing we actually check is the tongue!
We check that it looks healthy and also that the other soft tissues, glands and throat are healthy before moving onto checking the teeth.
Now it’s time to stick out your tongue and check that you don’t match any of the descriptions below:
If You See White Patches on Your Tongue
White patches on your tongue signify oral candidiasis, which is an overgrowth of yeast or thrush. Try cleaning your tongue with a toothbrush or a tongue scraper every day for a few weeks. If the patches persist, their cause is likely an overgrowth of candida you should visit your dentist to see if they need to prescribe you an anti-fungal drug.
Black and Hairy-Looking
There are a few causes for a black hairy tongue, including yeast infections, diabetes, cancer therapies, and poor oral hygiene. A buildup of dead skin cells on your tongue’s papillae results in the hairy look. No medical care is needed for this condition; simply practice excellent oral hygiene by regularly brushing your tongue (with the aid of tongue scrapers, as needed), and the problem should not persist. Remember to also change your toothbrush regularly.
Ridges on Your Tongue
Ridges occur when your teeth press into your tongue. This usually happens while you sleep. Fortunately, the ridges require no treatment and go away with time.
Bumps/spots on Your Tongue
If you spot bumps on your tongue they are most likely close relatives of the cold sore. These can be caused by many things, including biting, smoking, and stress. Home remedies can work well to treat this perhaps try gargling warm salt water mouth rinses, eating food that is soft and cold as to not agitate the tongue. Avoid foods that might trigger a negative reaction such as greasy foods. Lastly, ensure good oral health care.
You can ensure you stay healthy and your tongue stays looking nice and pink by having a healthy diet, not smoking or drinking excessive amounts of alcohol. You should also maintain good oral hygiene this includes daily cleaning of the tongue.
Have a look at what we inspect at our dental health checks…
Before seeing Nik, one of the dentists at Smile Essential I felt very self-conscious about my teeth. I would hide my smile with my hand.