Table of contents
What colour is your tongue when you look in the mirror, is it covered with a white layer? The healthy tongue naturally has a pink colour. Having a white coating on the tongue can be caused by various factors and can lead to bad breath and a foul taste. Besides white deposits on your tongue, you may suffer from white deposits on your teeth. It is important to remove the tongue coating in order to improve the health of your mouth. Learn more about the causes and ways to remove white deposits below.
A white coating on the tongue can be a sign of a large number of bacteria in the mouth. It can be a sign of reduced resistance, vitamin deficiency or poor dental care. In most cases, the cause is innocent. By removing the white layer regularly you can maintain fresh breath and healthy teeth.
Deposits on the tongue can have several causes, such as a poor diet a dry mouth, reduced resistance, fatigue or stress. In addition, the following contribute to the cause and build-up of tongue stains.
If you have a rough or many grooves on the tongue, then the deposits get a chance to attach easily.
Saliva’s function is to wash away the bacteria in the mouth, so to speak. When a person has low saliva production, the bacteria have a chance to attach to faster.
Some oral care products such as mouthwashes contain alcohol, sodium lauryl sulphate or chlorhexidine, these dry out the mouth, reducing saliva production.
Hit is important to clean your teeth daily to prevent plaque, if not removed, it can cluster and worsen white deposits.
When you have a cold, there are more bacteria from the virus present that can cause a coating
Another cause can be a fungal infection. This is caused by the yeast Candida Albicans. This type of yeast is found in almost everyone; when it gets out of balance, this yeast can result in a white tongue.
As much as you may enjoy smoking and your favourite alcoholic beverage, both result in dry mouth, this, as you read about dry mouth earlier, leads to more bacteria that can cause a coating.
Gum inflammation is also known as periodontitis. When you suffer from inflammation in the mouth, there are more bacteria in the mouth that can result in a white coating on the tongue.
Sugars are a source of bacteria that cause plaque. Consuming many sugary drinks and foods can aggravate a plaque layer on the tongue.
The deposit can be a side effect of taking medicine or antibiotics, read the drug’s package insert for side effects.
The colour can say a lot about your general health. You can read more about white, red, yellow, brown and black colour below.
A white-coloured tongue is caused by a large number of bacteria in the mouth, these bacteria form a white layer on the tongue and can be the cause of bad breath.
A healthy colour is pink, if it turns bright red, it could be a sign of burning or a vitamin deficiency. If you suffer from painful swelling, it could be caused by inflammation or an allergic reaction.
A yellow-coloured tongue is common. When you suffer from yellow deposits, there are a lot of bacteria in your mouth. It is important to brush away yellow deposits, as they can cause oral problems such as cavities and inflammation.
A brown colour is caused by bacteria that have a brown pigment, in addition, it can also come from excessive coffee and tea consumption.
A black colour is not common, it is a result of poor oral hygiene. In this, there are so many bacteria and dead cells present in the mouth which makes this tarnish turn black.
Wondering what you can do to remove white deposit on the tongue? Below you can read about the different tools which can help to clean your tongue
There are different kinds of tongue cleaners, such as a tongue brush and a tongue cleaner. The difference between the two is that the tongue brush cleans the tongue and the tongue cleaner allows you to scrape the white coating off the tongue. If you prefer to clean your tongue with a tongue cleaner, choose a stainless steel version as these are antibacterial and easy to clean.
Mouthwash rinses your mouth clean and removes bacteria in the mouth which can attach to the tongue and cause bad breath. Mouthwash can be used to prevent tongue infections and the best way to remove these is to purchase a tongue cleaner.
The toothbrush is often used to clean the tongue but unfortunately brushing the tongue with a toothbrush is not effective as the toothbrush only shifts the tongue coating back and forth and cannot remove it. In addition, a lot of bacteria get stuck in the toothbrush and are spread all over your teeth during the next brushing session.
The natural colour of a healthy tongue is pink; it may vary in colour. When the tongue is covered with a white layer it is known as a tongue deposit. This is a layer of bacteria that has attached itself to the tongue. The thickness of this deposit can vary. A white tongue can cause a bad taste in the mouth and bad breath. It can have several causes, the most common being low resistance or reduced saliva production. Would you like to get rid of the white deposit on your tongue quickly? Order your tongue cleaner here.
Popular categories
Frequently asked questions
What is the white coating on the tongue?
The white coating on the tongue can indicate a large number of bacteria in the mouth. The bacteria form a white film on the tongue and can be the cause of bad breath.
What is the cause of a white tongue?
The main cause of white coating on the tongue is poor dental care. In most cases the cause is innocent.
How can white deposits on the tongue be removed?
The white layer on the tongue can be easily cleaned using a tongue cleaner or a tongue brush, which removes the bacteria on the tongue.
A sore or burning tongue can be very annoying and troublesome. You will often suffer from a burning sensation, numbness or stinging sensation in your tongue. There are several reasons that can cause this discomfort. You can read more about them in this article. What is a sore tongue? A…
Read moreGeographic tongue is a harmless condition that affects the upper surface of your tongue. Although it is a benign condition just like a hairy tongue, it can cause discomfort. What causes geographic tongue? And is it treatable? Read on quickly! What is geographic tongue? Geographic tongue, also called lingua geographica…
Read moreIs your tongue healthy? The tongue is a curious part of the human body. It allows you to distinguish between different tastes. It is also indispensable for forming sounds. So without tongue, no taste and speech! But did you know that there is also a relationship between your tongue and…
Read morePrice Based Country test mode enabled for testing Switzerland. You should do tests on private browsing mode. Browse in private with Firefox, Chrome and Safari