Tongue discoloration facts

Tongue Discoloration

Improper oral hygiene is the main cause of the problem we are talking about in this article, which is the tongue discoloration. But several other factors can contribute to its creation, too. They are the tobacco chewing, smoking and some medical problems like oral thrush are several others. Papillae are fine hairs located on the tongue that should look coral pin and smooth. This is how healthy and normal tongue looks like. But since the tongue is filled with a lot of bacteria and fungus, this may be a problem. We all know that the tongue is responsible for tasting, talking and swallowing. During these processes many substances, harmful of course, may reach the human body system. All of the factors mentioned can lead to problems of irritation and many others. It may be a great problem to have troubles with tongue, since we use it so many times during the day. Due to the bacteria located on the tongue, the color of the tongue is determined. The color may vary from curd to white.

Causes

The main cause we have already mentioned, but we can add several more. One of them is the oral thrush problem, which is basically, an infection located in the oral cavity. The problem causes white patches on the tongue. It usually attacks older people and children due to their low immune system, but it can also be created when a person takes antibiotics that destroy good bacteria and lead to discoloration. Next potential cause is the leukoplakia, which is a condition connected with excessive growth of the tongue cells. The problem, which strikes those who chew tobacco frequently, creates white patches on the mount and the tongue. This problem may be produced due to the constant tongue irritation. Oral lichen planus, which is associated with the formation of white lines, is created due to the improper oral hygiene and tobacco chewing. If the body is deficient in folic acid or vitamin B12, the tongue may develop a reddish look. The deficiency of vitamin B12 can lead to a problem called pernicious anemia, which causes discolored and pale tongue. Map patterned reddish patches on the tongue may suggest benign migratory glossitis. They may change location and they have white borderlines. The tongue redness among children of five years of age may be caused by the Kawasaki syndrome. This problem affects the body's blood vessels and causes strawberry colored tongue. The similar effect can be created by the scarlet fever. Sometimes the papillae can grow excessively and this is usually caused by the poor orally hygiene, chemotherapy or antibiotics. The hair on the tongue, due to this problem, may be red, green, black or white, and it can look rather unappealing. For the end, try to limit the tobacco chewing and smoking. Also, alter the medications you are using if some antibiotics are causing the problem. The deficiency of vitamin B12 can be the cause, so if this is the case, increase the intake of vitamin B12. It is good to prevent the problem from ever happening, so maintain good oral hygiene and brush the tongue. Also if the discoloration is starting to show, use the toothbrush and brush the tongue.