10 Most Important Secrets Your Tongue Colour Reveals About Your Health

10 Most Important Secrets Your Tongue Colour Reveals About Your Health

Tongue colour

There are a few organs in the human body that are generally overlooked by the majority of people, regardless of the fact they often indicate health conditions and several risk factors. Like most women and men, you are concerned about the cardiac health or condition of your eyes, but do you really give much time to your tongue condition, unless there is some problem! If the answer is no, it is the time you learn a bit about why and how observing your tongue color can be helpful for learning about existing upcoming health conditions.


Tongue Colour and Health

Whether you are aware of it or not, the colour, shape and condition of your tongue can actually reveal a lot about your health conditions. It is not only about just a Tongue Infection. The texture, moisture, hue and overall appearance of your tongue can indicate risk and onset of serious ailments. Ideally, a proper medical checkup can reveal the underlying physical condition. But you can also learn the nuances of tongue color and associated possible health conditions to ensure the health issues do not get blown out of proportion.


A healthy tongue is usually pink in color with slight white coating atop and it is proportionate to mouth size. The surface would be slightly coarse in texture.


The Commonplace Tongue Health Warnings

Below Listed are the Most Commonplace Tongue Colour Health Indicators:


The Tongue Has a Strawberry Red Hue:

If your tongue colour is bright red like strawberry it is not normal! In most cases, it can indicate a deficiency of vitamin in the body. It may be so that your body lacks Vitamin B12. This can happen mostly to vegetarians and the tongue also becomes very smooth. In such cases, you may talk to a doctor about using suitable Vitamin supplements and raise the intake of Vitamin B12 rich foods.


The Tongue Has Blackish Fuzz:

It indicates you have a poor Oral Health. The tongue coated with a blackish coating may lead to foul breath, but often that does not cause serious health problems. However, it still makes sense to practice dental hygiene.


The Tongue Has a Cottage Cheese Like a Coat:

This can indicate you have developed an oral yeast infection. It can also be triggered by usage of certain antibiotic medications. It is also seen in people afflicted with autoimmune diseases, chemotherapy patients and also in the elderly people. It cannot be controlled with OTC medication, unlike typical yeast infections. Your doctor may recommend specific medication for this condition.


Wrinkles on Tongue Surface:

This is something you should not be alarmed at! Like every part of your body, the tongue also ages. It is not unusual for the tongue to develop a few cracks and fissures over the years. Problems can trigger when poor Dental Health leads to fungal infection in those crevices. At times, using specific dental appliances, such as dentures can lead to the indentations on the tongue. Practicing good oral hygiene is the solution here.


Small White Patches on The Tongue:

If you find some small and white patches on Tongue it could be caused by many things. When Painless white patches form owing to the excessive growth of cells the risk of cancer is small. This can lead to Oral Cancer in some cases, more so in smokers. It can actually reverse when you give up smoking. Sometimes, the dentist may ask you to go for a biopsy.


The Tongue Has Persistent Red Lesions:

This is definitely not a good sign. It may be the precursor of tongue cancer. It may seem like a canker sore, but that generally vanishes within a fortnight or so. It is caused mostly by excessive tobacco consumption, but the HPV virus may also cause this.


Bumpy Tongue:

This is a tongue condition that is quite normal. The tongue in some cases may resemble a bumpy terrain. The cause is not very clear, but you need not press the panic button, say the doctors.


Spots On the Tongue:

If you see white and red spots on the tongue and the surface is uneven, it is not something you should be scared of. The condition is not rare as such. It may persist for life and unless there is any pain, no treatment is required. However, in some instances co-relation between tongues with this condition and celiac disease have been found. Celiac disease is a genetic autoimmune disease which has no cure, but controlling diet is the solution.


Thick, Yellow Coating:

If there is a thick and yellowish coat on the tongue, it may indicate a bacterial contamination. It can also be caused when body heat is over the limit. This is however not much harmful and can be eradicated largely by adhering to better dental hygiene practices. If it recurs and persists you may get a health check up done though. This can be a precursor of strokes.


Painless Bump:

If you find a bump has appeared on the side of your tongue and it goes away without medical intervention, do not worry much. In case, the bump persists for a longer duration that can be worrisome. It may be a sign of oral cancer. These bumps may have red and white bumps. As it is, the reddish bumps are more indicative of oral cancer than white ones. Smokers are more at risk than others.


Where It All Leads To?

Basically, a majority of irregular tongue appearances is caused by improper dental hygiene and certain underlying health issues. The severity of these health conditions can vary from harmless to severe. In most instances, when irregular tongue color, lesion, bump refuse to resolve on its own and persist for long, you should not waste time and seek medical intervention. Sometimes, changes in diet, usage of oral hygiene products can help resolve tongue issues and advice from doctors should be sought for the same. Habits like tobacco smoking and alcohol use can also impact your dental health and tongue adversely and discarding these can be quite helpful.

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Reviewed By:

Dr. Kaushal M. Bhavsar (MBBS, MD)

Assistant Professor in Pulmonary Medicine, GMERS Medical College, Ahmedabad