Known to cause a greyish- white coating on the tongue, this condition called White tongue is a common and generally harmless symptom that could indicate a serious condition. Rarely serious conditions like cancer causes white tongue.
Causes
Lack of Brushing of flossing or doing it in an improper way.
Lack of regular Tongue cleaning or doing it improperly.
Addictions like alcohol, smoking and chewing tobacco
Dry mouth that is a result of sleeping with open mouth or mouth breathing
Dehydration
Irritation due to sharp edges resulting form dentures or braces inside the mouth
Though there are certain conditions that are caused inspite of maintaining oral hygiene. These include conditions like oral thrush, Oral lichen planus and Leukoplakia.
Oral Thrush – This is a type of fungal infection caused by candida yeast. Patches develop on the tongue and mouth. White or off white in color, they can be painful and also have unpleasant taste. Oral thrush usually occurs in people with low immunity or those who have undergone a recent chemotherapy treatment or taken antibiotics. Some other causes include inhalation of asthma related medications like corticosteroids and diabetes.
Treatment – Anti-fungal medicines like oral drops are used for its treatment for a couple of weeks.
Syphillis – Also known as sexually transmitted condition (STI), if left untreated it can lead to white tongue as well as mouth sores.
Treatment – Pencillin is used for its treatment for reducing the disease causing bacteria
Oral Lichen Planus – An inflammatory condtion, Oral Lichen planus causes white patches thick in the mouth and on the tongue accompanied with painful cheek, gums as well as ulcers.
Treatment – Generally monitored but in serious cases croticosteriods are used.
Leukoplakia – This condition is a result of addictions caused by irritants like alcohol and tobacco or even due to dentures. They are harmless mostly but still a diagnosis is important to check out the rare possibility of complications.
Treatment – Continuous monitoring to avoid it from spreading further
Home Remedies
There are a few home based remedies that can help you fight the condition. These include use of probiotic foods like kimchi, konbucha and more, using baking soda while brushing teath and tongue cleaning. Consumption of raw garlic and scraping tongue properly for removal of bacteria.
Prevention
The best possible solution is maintaining proper oral hygiene backed with regular oral checkups other than that it is not always possible to get away from it.
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