Healthy tongue color is pink, though the specific shades may range from light to dark. A healthy, normal-colored tongue also has small bumps all over its surface. These are papillae. They help you speak, taste, chew and swallow.
A pink tongue is healthy and normal. A red tongue may indicate heat in the body like a fever or a hormonal imbalance. A reddish purple tongue is a sign that there may be inflammation or an infection in the body. A pale pink tongue may be a sign of a vitamin deficiency, a weak immune system or a lack of energy.
Usually, a person has a pink tongue with a thin white coating. The shade of pink may be light or dark. A healthy tongue has many papillae on the top and sides. The papillae are small, fleshy bumps that give the top of the tongue a coarse texture.
Usually, white tongue is harmless and temporary. If white tongue is the only symptom you notice, you may be safe to wait and see if it goes away. If your white tongue doesn't return to a normal color after a few weeks, see your provider or dentist.
Although the appearance of white tongue may be alarming, the condition is usually harmless and temporary. However, white tongue can be an indication of some serious conditions, ranging from infection to a precancerous condition.
Rarely, yellow tongue may be a sign of jaundice, a yellowing of the eyes and skin, which sometimes indicates liver or gallbladder problems. Self-care is usually all that's needed to treat yellow tongue, unless it's related to another medical condition.
Tongues with a thick and lumpy white coating could mean you have oral thrush, a fungal infection of your mouth's mucous membranes. On the other hand, a tongue that looks only slightly white can indicate dehydration.
An unhealthy tongue. If your tongue is a different colour than pink, or has large patches of white, brown, black, or another colour, this might indicate a specific health issue. Similarly, if you have large bumps or no bumps at all, you may also want to speak to a doctor.
Signs of your body undergoing excessive stress can show up on your tongue as unusual redness, sores, and ulcers. Also, if your tongue appears to have marks around the edges, that could signify consistently biting your tongue as a reaction to stress.
Deficiencies in B6 or B12 may lead to a swollen, sore or yellow tongue, along with teeth indentations and fissures on the surface of the tongue. Iron: An iron deficiency can lead to a swollen tongue and painful sores in the mouth.
No coating on your tongue might mean that your body is exhausted and is not producing enough fluids to promote healthy digestion. A light, white coated tongue reflects the state of your digestive function. A heavily coated tongue indicates poor digestion, which is caused by excessive pathogenic fluid.
When someone is dehydrated, the tongue appears dry and typically has a white or white-to-yellowish coating. In some cases, the tongue can appear patchy or splotchy. If your tongue commonly sticks to the roof of your mouth, you are dehydrated!
That may sound strange, but your tongue can tell a lot about your health. For example, a black and hairy looking tongue can signal poor oral hygiene, or diabetes. If your tongue is bright red like a strawberry, it could signal a deficiency in folic acid, vitamin B12, or iron.
Jaundice. Yellowing of the skin and eyes, also known as jaundice, is one of the most well known liver disease symptoms. It can also appear in the fingernails and tongue.
Urine that is dark orange, amber, cola-coloured or brown can be a sign of liver disease. The colour is due to too much bilirubin building up because the liver isn't breaking it down normally.
Your tongue is a great indicator of the health of your digestive tract and liver. Having a coated tongue usually means you have poor digestion or too many bad bugs/yeast in your bowel and/or a sluggish liver. It may also cause bad breath of which you may be unaware.
White tongue is the result of an overgrowth and swelling of the fingerlike projections (papillae) on the surface of your tongue. The appearance of a white coating is caused by debris, bacteria and dead cells getting lodged between the enlarged and sometimes inflamed papillae.
Make an appointment with your doctor or dentist if: You're concerned about changes in your tongue. Your tongue hurts. Your white tongue persists for longer than a few weeks.
In the case of white tongue, proper oral hygiene which includes brushing, flossing and tongue scraping, can frequently resolve the condition or even prevent it from occurring.
Iron deficiency anemia or pernicious anemia – A pale (almost white), smooth tongue can be caused by a deficiency in iron or vitamin B12.
A thick white coating on the back or at the center of the tongue may be a sign of an overloaded digestive system. This can be caused by an imbalance of good bacteria in the gut, nutritional deficiencies and stress.