The Tongue and Its Role in Oral Health

The human body’s strongest muscle, the tongue, is also a heavyweight in your oral health. With over 10,000 taste buds, the tongue is responsible for identifying tastes and is a major indicator of health conditions depending on its color. A healthy tongue should be a pinkish color and generally smooth. Germs and bacteria often live on the tongue and can sometimes even become trapped. These germs can then lead to discoloration of the tongue or other symptoms like bad breath. 

Don’t ignore your tongue when it comes to daily cleaning!

Your tongue is covered in tiny bumps, called papillae. The surface of the tongue can harbor a lot of bacteria. The bacteria and trapped germs on the tongue can lead to bad breath, affect your sense of taste, and even travel to other parts of your mouth. Overgrowth of bacteria can turn your tongue yellow, white, or even black and hairy-looking! You should always be on the lookout for color changes in your tongue, as this can signify a problem.

Make it a habit to thoroughly clean your tongue every time you brush your teeth. You can use a tongue scraper, a small tool designed to scrape the tongue and get rid of bacteria and germs. Your regular toothbrush will also do the job. Use it to scrape your tongue all the way to the back of your mouth.

If dry mouth is an issue, brushing or using a tongue scraper may be difficult. To prep the tongue for this type of cleaning, a spray or mouth gel can be used to soften the residue and protect the muscle from tissue damage.

To maintain good oral hygiene, it is recommended to regularly examine your tongue and alert your dentist of any sores, cuts or colorations that are taking a long time to heal or go away. Visit West Bloomington’s Krengel Dental for a checkup. Dr. Krengel also screens for oral cancer and many of the warning signs of oral cancer be discerned by the tongue.