News > What color is your tongue?

ANTENNA TV “Zise Allios” (Live differently). 

Invited by Sofia Aliberti and Konstantinos Dede.

See the colors of the tongue and the secrets they hide!

Our tongue is the mirror of our Health and disease. 

The mouth is the mirror of our health!  Many diseases are reflected in our mouth, and, more often, on the tongue.

Our tongue can change color and show us that something is wrong with our health! A normal tongue is pink to whitish. But why does it sometimes change color? What does it show? See why the tongue turns white, black or red.

What is a normal tongue like?

Our tongue is a strong muscle, which moves the tongue and helps us to speak and swallow our food, but also to keep our mouth clean.

This muscle is covered by the mucous membrane of the mouth, which has "2 layers".

The upper layer-cover has various specializations: taste buds, to perform the function of smell and keratin hairs, called filiform papillae.

Keratin hairs are white and short and cover the upper surface of the tongue and give it an off-white color.

In some people these hairs are more short and the tongue appears less white, almost pink. In others the hairs are a little longer and the tongue appears somewhat whiter.

The normal tongue, therefore, is pink to whitish.

Filiform papillae are the guardians, protecting our tongue from being injured when we eat. They are particularly sensitive and can perceive various problems in our health.

What do tongue hairs do when they sense a problem?

They change color, elongate (lengthen), while in other cases they "fall" and the tongue is left without its protection. Depending on the above changes in the filiform papillae, the color of the tongue also changes.

Tongue colors: White, Black, Red tongue 

White tongue

In some situations, where the tongue has been "disturbed", then the hairs grow longer, with the aim of protecting the tongue better (hence the saying in Greek, “my tongue became hairy”).

As the filiform papillae on our tongue becomes longe, the tongue appears whiter. Some conditions that stress the hair are smoking, antibiotics, psychological stress, etc.

What is needed in these cases is cleaning and of course to quit smoking and correcting the factors that harm us.

Some people bite their tongue without realizing it, and the tongue again reacts and turns white.

There are other problems that can affect the tongue and are white in color, such as various autoimmune problems, leukoplakia and others.

The dentist can diagnosed those pathological conditions and will give us the appropriate instructions and/or medical advice. 

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Black tongue

The filiform papillae of the tongue, when they have grown, for example when we receive antibiotics, can be colored by the food and the environment of the mouth and become black.

With cleaning and brushing, the hair will come back, and the abnormality will be restored.

Red tongue

The tongue appears red when it loses its hair, that is, the hair papillae that protect it fall off, and the underside is visible, which is pinkish red, or becomes more red and hurts or stings.

The tongue may appear red all over or have small, red spots.

The tongue can become red in anemia, mycosis, autoimmune disease, etc.

Anemia

Anemia is a symptom, with many causes, eg iron deficiency, loss of blood from a point in the intestine that bleeds, vitamin B12 deficiency, often because it is can not absorbed by our stomach, etc.

In anemia, tongue hairs fall out. Then the tongue becomes red, sensitive, itches and hurts.

Fungal infection

Sometimes, for example in case we take antibiotics, a fungal infection, almost always from the fungus Candida, the so-called erythematous candidiasis, may develop. Filiform papillae "fall off", the tongue loses its protection and appears red and stings.

Geographic tongue

The tongue appears red, often as small "red spots" with a white border. It is an innocent condition, without clinical value. Its cause is unknown.

What is the reason for the white outline? Once again the guards, the surrounding neighbors - hairy papillae of the tongue - lengthen in their effort to cover and protect the red areas, which have lost their own hairs!

In any case, the doctor will diagnose the problem and treat us successfully.

Find a doctor on the CureCancer - mycancer.gr List

I sincerely thank Sofia Alibertis and Konstantinos Dedes for the honorable invitation to this great show, with the important aim of informing the public on health issues: ANTENA TV, every day, at 4.00 pm.  

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