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White Tongue Causes and Remedies

White tongue

Getting up in the morning and finding out that you have a white tongue is not a good thing. In fact noticing any kind of change in the color of your tongue is a sign of a potential health problem. You may have thought that you were doing well with your oral hygiene but there is a problem that has just presented itself. There are a couple of explanations and all will have to be dealt with. In Chinese medicine white tongue is considered a notification of something serious and very often it will have nothing to do with the mouth.

Fortunately there are a lot of easily curable issues that could also be the cause.

Oral Thrush
This is one of the causes of white tongue and while it happens regularly in babies is not that usual in adults. If it has happened it will normally be at a time when you are feeling under the weather. Candida is present in everyone’s mouth but in this case with white tongue there is a great deal more of the yeast. The acidity in the mouth needs to be addressed in order to cure white tongue.

Bacteria
This is most likely going to be the cause of white tongue and again it is something that you can deal with. A build up of sulphur will attach itself to the tongue and will need to be dealt with as soon as possible. If this is the cause there will be bad breath attached to it and you don’t want to go out of the house before you have tried to combat this.

Internal Organ Problems
The Chinese believe that each section of the tongue is related to a particular organ – the center of the tongue is believed to represent the spleen and stomach, the outer edges are believed to be the gall bladder and liver, the tip is believed to represent the heart, closely followed by the lungs, and the part of the tongue closest to the throat is believed to represent the bladder, kidney and intestines. Depending on the area of discoloration, Chinese medicine recommends speaking to a doctor concerning the specific area represented by the tongue.

Cures
If it has been decided that your white tongue has been caused by oral thrush, eating unsweetened yoghurt will help bring relief. It will neutralize the bacteria and if eaten regularly the bacteria will stop being a problem. It is possible that the cause has been things that are in your mouth. Fillings and braces can be the problems and while you cannot stop using them it will be best if you can use dental wax to stop the irritation. Antibacterial mouth wash is a good way to remove some of the bacteria but this alone will not completely solve the problem.

It may be worth visiting your doctor to find out why your tongue problems have suddenly started. There must be a reason why the good bacteria is no longer effective and the doctor will be able to get it functioning properly again. Many people find that this occurs shortly after they have finished a course of antibiotics and it is actually an effect of this that has caused white tongue. Don’t however assume that this is the case and make sure it is checked out.

If the doctor decides that you do have a yeast infection they will prescribe something such as Fluconazole which is an antifungal treatment. This white tongue treatment could see the symptoms clear up in as little as two days but do not cut back on the prescription your doctor gives you and at the end make sure that the doctor is happy that everything is back to normal.

{ 2 comments… add one }
  • Iftikhar July 10, 2011, 8:18 am

    DR.
    i have white coating tongue and irritating throat. i have protein and dust allergy.

    please help in this regard.

  • Shayna August 1, 2011, 4:11 pm

    I have white tongue and I have bad allergies here in Texas. It is gross looking to me:( I am drinking more water, and brushing my teeth even more, and now going to eat a dang yogurt. 108 degrees everyday with nasty air quality, I think i is my allergies making my system weak and my tongue white. When I have sinus problems, my tongue gets white.

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