What Causes The White Coating On Your Tongue
You wake up one morning and start brushing your teeth in front of a mirror, as you begin to clean your tongue, you notice that it’s not pinkish anymore but rather white. What happened?
The white coating on your tongue could look alarming, but don’t get too worked up. First, you must learn what causes the white coating and check if you fall in one of these:
- You’re dehydrated. Dehydration is one of the most common causes of a white coated tongue.
- Poor oral hygiene. Failure to brush, floss your teeth and clean your tongue regularly.
- Tongue irritation due to teeth, dentures or braces.
- Regular alcohol intake.
- Smoking
- Breathing through your mouth due to sleep or breathing problems.
- Having a low roughage diet
- If you fall in any of these causes, then you should know how to stop your tongue from turning white. Avoid alcohol, smoking and too much soft food. Make sure to follow a regular oral hygiene routine. Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration. Lastly, consult an orthodontist and a specialist to solve denture or braces irritation and sleep and breathing problems.
Treating a white coated tongue can be as simple as learning the causes mentioned above. However, other causes of white coating on the tongue warrants complex treatment management. Serious medical conditions such as HIV/AIDS, Oral Thrush, Mouth Cancer, and Syphilis can cause the tongue to turn white. To make sure you don’t have any of these conditions, consult a medical doctor, especially if you have any other unexplained signs and symptoms.
If you have any questions about the white coated tongue, feel free to call or visit us at Dr. Sidarous and Associates in Saint-Laurent, Quebec.
-The Dr. Sidarous & Associates Team
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