24/05/2024
What makes your tongue sad? A tongue depressor! Haha! Sorry.
But seriously. Your tongue can tell you a lot about your health, (and not just your oral health). A healthy colour is light to dark pink. A different colour could indicate an underlying health condition. It's important to check your tongue regularly, and know what signs to look for:
What different colours can indicate:
White tongue: Oral thrush, leukoplakia (a potentially precancerous condition)
Yellow tongue: Dehydration, jaundice, psoriasis (a skin condition)
Orange tongue: Poor oral hygiene, antibiotics, beta-carotene foods
Red tongue: Allergies, scarlet fever, vitamin B deficiency
Black tongue: Keratin buildup, diabetes, HIV
Purple tongue: Poor circulation, heart condition, Kawasaki disease (children under 5)
Green tongue: Certain medications, dry mouth
Blue tongue: Cyanosis, blood disorder, kidney disease
If you have a blue tongue, you should call your healthcare provider right away as cyanosis requires prompt medical attention.
These are not the only reasons for your tongue to change colour, things like poor oral hygiene and smoking can also cause this, but any change in your tongue's colour, it is recommended that you schedule a dental consultation.
Even if you wear full dentures and don't feel you need to see a dentist, it is still wise to have your oral health checked. An oral health check is part of our complimentary consultation when you make a denture appointment, so call us on 01563 510305.
