Now Treat All Symptoms Of White Tongue Naturally With This Comprehensive Guide

White patches on tongue although not a serious health issue, can be embarrassing and indicates unhealthy living standards. In case you are having similar symptoms here’s a quick guide on how to treat it.

Unraveling white tongue bit deep

Your tongue is one of the strongest muscular structure in the entire body. It has small nodules on its surface which are known as papillae. Sometimes it is these papillae that takes a greyish to white appearance when they are either inflamed, dead, damaged or in case of bacteria and other debris is lodged between them. Generally having a temporary white tongue is a common issue and it’s nothing serious. However, if it continues for a long while turning into a chronic condition then you might take a serious note about it. A prolonged or chronic white tongue is related to a number of disorders. Some of which includes:

1. Leukoplakia

In case you detect the presence of white patches forming inside your cheeks your gums along with your tongue, you might be having leukoplakia. They are caused due to excessive smoking, drinking or chewing of tobacco. However, at times the leukoplakia scars might turn carcinogenic.

2. Oral lichen planus

This is a chronic inflammatory mouth condition which is caused due to some conditions in your body’s immune system along with the external microbial invasion. In this condition, you might have sore in your gums and in the interior lining of your mouth.

3. Oral thrush

This is a yeast infection caused by the Candida. People prone to oral thrush are more likely to have conditions like diabetes, weekend immune system, HIV or AIDS, iron deficiency, Vit B deficiency, etc. Oral thrush is also likely in case you wear artificial dentures.

4. Syphilis

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease which causes syphilitic leukoplakia sores and patches on the mouth. In case you have any chances of catching an STD and have a white tongue as symptoms get yourself tested and checked now.

5. Geographic tongue

This is a condition where a part or portion of papillae is renewing and ends up shedding the upper layer too quickly leaving the tender areas prone to infection. However, geographic tongue is also non-transmissible.

Some other causes

6. Sometimes certain medications like antibiotics etc. can lead to yeast infection which in turn may cause white tongue.

7. A rare but possible cause of white tongue is tongue or mouth cancer

The Cure

Now that the likely causes for the white tongue are on the table it’s time to know about the treatment options. Generally, it’s not a serious condition that needs medic care. Simple brushing and flossing with soft toothbrush along with drinking a lot of water to sweep away the debris and bacteria should help.

In case you are skeptical, here’s a bit detailed discussion on the treatment options for various white tongue causes.

• Leukoplakia doesn’t need any treatment.

This most common cause for white tongue doesn’t need any medical attention. However, if you notice a continuous worsening of condition you can visit your dentist. Leukoplakia can be cured by bringing a few healthy changes in life. To cure the white sores quit smoking and drinking habits. Giving up cigarettes isn’t easy as the nicotine withdrawal symptoms are severe and mere will power isn’t enough to deal with it.

You can try to quit smoking with various smoking alternatives like nicotine patches, gums, vaping, etc. To quit alcohol non-alcoholic beverages like sparkling juices, club sodas, etc can be used

• Oral lichen planus is another condition which also doesn’t need any special medical attention.

However, occasionally you can use a steroid spray or mouthwash by dissolving steroid pills in water.

• Oral thrush

Oral thrush needs some antifungal medical attention. You can get these medications in the form of gel or liquid to apply in the mouth. Or else you can take it in the form of lozenge or pills.

• Treatment for syphilis

This is another causal condition which needs medical attention. Generally, syphilis is treatable by a single dose of penicillin. However, if the infection has been chronic for a long time you may need longer treatment.

Know when to seek a doctor’s help

If it’s just white tongue, you don’t need to be bothered much. However, if it’s not the only symptom you come across, you need to seek doctors help. The situations which you should never ignore are:

• Painful sensation in the tongue
• Burning sensation
• Open sores or ulcers
• Trouble while swallowing, chewing or speaking
• In case your white-tongue comes with a bouquet of other symptoms like fever, rash, weight loss, etc.

Prevention is better than cure

White tongue can be prevented by a few tweaking in daily routine and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Here are a few home remedies

1. Use probiotics

According to some studies on probiotics and oral health, it shows that probiotics bacteria occupy both gut and mouth. Thus helping in fighting off the harmful yeast and bacterial strains from mouth

2. Make a baking soda scrub

There are certain studies which show that baking soda helps in killing of common harmful mouth bacteria like Candida, Streptococcus, etc.

So make a DIY solution of mixing food grade baking soda to your toothpaste and use it with a soft bristles brush

3. Eating garlic

Allicin a special chemical compound present in raw garlic is reported to fight off fungal infections caused by strains of Candida albicans etc. You can eat cloves of garlic daily, raw or chop it off and mix with some olive oil in case you find the smell too strong.

4. Floss

Regular flossing or tongue scrapping can clean all debris and bacterial remnants from your tongue.

Wrapping up

A white tongue isn’t a serious condition and can be avoided by maintaining a few basic oral hygienes and don’t forget to visit your oral healthcare experts once every 6 months.