2. Examining Your Tongue: Upon a closer examination of the tongue, your dentist will check the size and texture of the tongue to ensure a healthy mouth. Your tongue's size and surface can determine a lot about your dental health, as well as your overall health.
Increasingly dentists and physicians work together in treating conditions related to airflow including obstructive sleep apnea and upper airway resistance symptoms. In addition, as experts in oral health dentists are often the first to notice issues with the tongue, mouth and surrounding areas.
"Often, diseases like cancer, anemia and diabetes will first be identified by the dentist in a regular examination, and this saves lives." And it's not just diseases—dentists can discover everything from your bad habits to your favorite beverages simply by asking you to say, "Ahh!"
During routine dental examinations and cleanings, dentists can detect oral symptoms of stress, including orofacial pain, bruxism, temporomandibular disorders (TMJ), mouth sores and gum disease. If you're feeling tense or anxious, you should keep a watchful eye for signs of the following stress-related disorders.
Many dentists routinely check for mouth and oropharyngeal cancer. So they are often the first people to spot the early signs of cancer. If the dentist suspects cancer they can refer you to a specialist. Report any changes to your GP or dentist, especially if you smoke and drink a lot of alcohol.
“We start with the worst case scenario and look for anything concerning, like ulcers, lesions, masses, and firmness,” he says. “Then we move on to evaluate signs of unusual coating, infection or fungus.” Dr. Kauffman says it is amazing what can be learned simply by looking at a patient's tongue.
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.
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.
Geographic tongue, fissured tongue, and hairy tongue are the most common tongue problems and do not require treatment. Median rhomboid glossitis is usually associated with a candidal infection and responds to topical antifungals.
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. But, it could also mean you have strep throat, or a fever.
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.
Most often, yellow tongue is an early sign of a disorder known as black hairy tongue. Rarely, yellow tongue may be a sign of jaundice, a yellowing of the eyes and skin, which sometimes indicates liver or gallbladder problems.
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.
Physicians often ask their patients to "Please stick out your tongue." The tongue can betray signs of illness, which combined with other symptoms such as a cough, fever, presence of jaundice, headache or bowel habits, can help the physician offer a diagnosis.
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.
Final Answer: The four tastes that the tongue can taste are sweet, bitter, salty and sour.
yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes (jaundice) swelling in the legs, ankles and feet caused by a build-up of fluid (oedema) swelling in your abdomen caused by a build-up of fluid known as ascites. a high temperature and shivering attacks.
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!
Furthermore, muscles such as the masseter (mastication muscle) are activated during stress and several aspects of saliva are changed (e.g., cortisol levels, flow rates) [6]. As a result, any of these changes could potentially contribute to the increase of purple color in the tongue.
Oral anxiety is the stress effects on oral health. Stress or anxiety can impact your oral health; when you are stressed, your immune system is compromised, and while the cause of canker sores is not proven, there is some correlation or higher likelihood between lowered immune and those nasty painful canker sores.
Most tongue problems aren't serious. But sometimes, changes in your tongue signal a more serious condition. See a healthcare provider to get your tongue checked out if you're having severe symptoms that last longer than a few weeks.
Oral Lichen Planus: This oral autoimmune disease occurs when the immune system attacks the mucous membranes inside your mouth, according to The Mayo Clinic. It will appear as lacy white patches, sometimes accompanied by painful sores on the lining of the cheeks, tongue, and gums.