Plaque on the tongue: normal or not?
The human language is a kind of litmus test for the health of the entire organism. Normally, a healthy person should have a tongue without plaque, but this is ideal, which is rare today. If the tongue is coated, there are only two cases where you should not worry about it.
- After meal.
Eating foods such as strong tea, black coffee, red wine, blueberries, and beets causes temporary staining of the tongue and an unnatural coating on it, but both phenomena go away on their own and do not cause damage to health. - After the night.
A constant coating on the tongue in the morning is normal. At night, bacteria living in the mouth actively multiply, leaving traces of their vital activity. A thorough morning toilet will put everything in its place.
Tongue care kit from miradent.
Causes of plaque formation on the tongue
Insufficient oral hygiene
If the rules of dental care are not followed, opportunistic bacterial flora is activated in the oral cavity, which begins to multiply rapidly.
As a result, a film is formed on the tongue, consisting of dead epithelial cells of the mucous membrane, food debris and bacterial mass. Gradually the film thickens, turning into a dense yellow coating. We all know that we need to brush our teeth twice a day after eating. However, few people brush their tongue along with their teeth, and there are even special scrapers for this! Regular mechanical removal of plaque will greatly alleviate the problem, no matter what caused it.
Other reasons for the formation of persistent plaque on the tongue:
- Consumption of products containing dyes.
- Smoking.
- Taking medications.
- Dry mouth.
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract
What if it's a disease?
A strong coating on the tongue and bad breath are already a reason to be wary. An experienced doctor will determine which disease the plaque on the tongue is a sign of, comparing the degree of density of the deposit, color and location.
Glossitis
One of the typical diseases characterized by plaque on the tongue is glossitis - inflammation of the tongue caused by injury or of an infectious nature. With glossitis, red spots appear on the tongue, which is why the disease is sometimes called “geographic tongue.” Read more in the article.
Gastritis
If your mouth is sour and there is a coating on your tongue, this is a sign of inflammation of the gastric mucosa. Usually the plaque disappears if you follow a diet.
Thrush
With thrush, the plaque is located under the tongue. It is distributed unevenly and has the character of spots.
Chlamydia
With chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease, a thick, sticky coating appears on the roof of the mouth and tongue as a result of a malfunction in the immune system after an attack by chlamydia.
Bronchitis and pneumonia
Plaque on the sides of the tongue will indicate an upper respiratory tract disease. In most cases, it is whitish and is easily removed by brushing your teeth and tongue, but also quickly returns to its original place.
Alcoholism
A coating on the tongue after alcohol abuse is common. People talk about this figuratively: “It’s like cats have shit in your mouth.” However, in chronic alcoholics, the dark brown coating never goes away and is localized at the root of the tongue.
Cancer
If the tongue is coated, one cannot say with certainty that a specific type of cancer is present. But it is precisely this symptom, coupled with a number of other characteristics, that indicates a complication of an oncological disease (for example, a malignant tumor in the lungs).
Plaque on the tongue of a pregnant woman, with rare exceptions, is not a sign of illness - it is the result of changes in hormonal levels.
Can plaque be yellow?
A yellow coating on the tongue after taking antibiotics may appear as a result of a disturbance in the intestinal microflora .
This contributes to the deterioration of its peristalsis and the occurrence of constipation.
For your information! Feces accumulate in the intestines, and toxins begin to be absorbed back into the blood. As a result, a yellow coating appears on the tongue.
Moreover, the more coated the tongue is, the greater the amount of toxins absorbed into the blood and distributed throughout the body.
Also, yellow plaque can be a signal of liver dysfunction and problems with the outflow of bile .
Main causes of plaque
- Infection.
The main cause of plaque on the tongue in adults is infectious diseases, characterized by the uncontrolled proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms. - Impaired immune function.
When the body's protective barrier cracks, this serves as a catalyst for the activation of pathogenic bacteria, which usually occurs against the background of an increase in body temperature. - Gastrointestinal pathologies.
Various chronic ailments of the gastrointestinal tract caused by Helicobacter. Plaque on the tongue due to gastritis, if the disease is not treated, becomes denser over time and provokes bad breath. A clear sign of enterocolitis in adults is considered to be plaque on the root of the tongue. - Side effect of drugs.
Plaque on the tongue after antibiotic treatment is a common phenomenon. Medicines that include substances that inhibit the growth of certain pathogenic bacteria negatively affect the acid-base balance in the mouth, which entails an increase in the number of microorganisms “responsible” for the appearance of plaque. - The consequences of nicotine.
If you are an “experienced” smoker, then you shouldn’t be surprised by a gray or yellow coating on your tongue. Nicotine abuse has a detrimental effect on the microflora of the body in general and the oral cavity in particular.
Attention!
A provoking factor for the appearance of plaque on the tongue is also helminthic infestations, such as giardiasis. For differential diagnosis in this situation, it is necessary to take a stool test for helminth eggs.
Causes of white tint
Keep in mind! Antibacterial drugs destroy not only pathological, but also beneficial microflora.
In this case, an imbalance occurs, which often manifests itself as a white coating on the tongue.
In addition, long-term use of antibacterial drugs can negatively affect the condition of the liver and kidneys.
In this case, it is necessary to undergo an examination, since these are very important organs and problems in their functioning can cause serious health problems.
Antibiotics are necessary medicines.
But they should be resorted to only in extreme cases, since having cured one ailment, they can provoke the occurrence of a number of others.
The most common cause of white deposits on the tongue after antibiotics is dysbacteriosis.
Microflora is a collection of microorganisms that take part in the life of the body.
Need to know! It performs the following functions:
- takes part in the synthesis of hormones and vitamins;
- regulates gas formation in the intestines;
- helps in the absorption of vitamins and minerals;
- stimulates the immune system;
- cleanses the body of toxins;
- regulates water and electrolyte balance.
Additional symptoms
Antibiotics do not work selectively, but destroy both harmful and beneficial microflora, and in addition to a white coating on the tongue, the patient may experience :
- increased gas formation;
- constipation alternating with loose stools;
- itching in the anus;
- heaviness and pain in the abdomen.
Note! There is also vaginal dysbiosis, its symptoms are as follows:
- itching;
- increased sensitivity;
- frequent urination;
- discharge from the genitals;
- burning in the urethra;
- pain in the lower abdomen.
Dysbacteriosis is an imbalance of microflora that can provoke an increase in the population of Candida fungi, which are normally constantly present in the human body.
With thrush, white deposits also appear on the tongue. Additional symptoms are also present:
- itching and burning in the genital area;
- discharge that resembles curdled milk with a sour odor;
- swelling of the mucous membrane;
- the presence of white plaque on the genitals.
Important! Thrush can be transmitted to a sexual partner, so treatment should be started as soon as possible.
Liver cells constantly pass blood through themselves and cleanse it of breakdown products of medications, alcohol and other things.
After long-term use of antibiotics, the liver becomes clogged - the gland can no longer cope with incoming toxins.
In addition to plaque on the tongue , drug-induced liver damage manifests itself:
- pain in the right hypochondrium;
- bitter taste in the mouth;
- diarrhea;
- failure of the kidneys - swelling of the lower extremities;
- the appearance of skin rashes.
Stay up to date! If many toxic breakdown products of antibiotics accumulate in the liver, the development of:
- cholestasis;
- allergies;
- drug hepatitis;
- fibrosis.
What does plaque color tell you?
White
As we have already said, a thin white mucous coating on the tongue after sleep is not a deviation from the norm. A white coating of increased density indicates constipation, and a cheesy coating on the tongue indicates the unhealthy activity of yeast-like fungi of the genus Candida.
Yellow
A bright yellow coating on the tip of the tongue indicates hepatitis A (Botkin's disease). If there are problems in the functioning of the gallbladder, a yellowish coating and cracks appear on the tongue.
Dark
A dark coating on the tongue is a sign that something is wrong with the lungs. You don’t often see a completely black plaque: for example, in advanced stages of cholera due to dehydration of the body or in Crohn’s disease.
Diagnosis and examination of plaque on the tongue
When examined by a dentist, the condition of the teeth, gums, and oral mucosa is examined. When a plaque is detected on the tongue, its color, location, density, the condition of the mucous membrane under the plaque, the appearance of the taste buds, the presence of cracks or erosions are assessed.
An important diagnostic sign is the onset of appearance, the duration of existence of plaque on the tongue, as well as its connection with any disease.
If it is determined that the cause of plaque formation on the tongue is dental disease, further observation and treatment of the patient is the responsibility of dentists. The first specialist you should contact is a dental hygienist, who will carry out thorough oral hygiene using special equipment and medications and will tell you whether additional help from his colleagues is required.
If the appearance of yellow plaque on the tongue is not related to dental problems, the patient is referred to a therapist to determine the cause of the pathology.
What to do?
How to remove plaque from the tongue? To begin with, determine exactly the reason why the plaque occurs and treat the underlying disease by following the doctor’s instructions. For preventive purposes, in order to minimize the amount and density of plaque, you must follow simple rules of personal hygiene:
- brush your teeth in the morning and before bed with toothpaste and a brush that has a tongue cleansing pad;
- use antibacterial mouthwash;
- use a special spoon to clean the tongue, moving from its periphery to the front surface.
For a detailed article on how and how to properly clean your tongue from plaque, read a separate article.
