What is Your Tongue Telling You?

There’s more to your mouth than just your teeth and gums. Your tongue does a lot of heavy lifting, from talking to tasting, so it’s imperative that it remains healthy along with your teeth.

While your dentist will alert you to any abnormalities or conditions of your tongue, it’s also helpful to stick out that tongue when you’re brushing and give it a look. Not only can doing so help you spot any issues your mouth might have, but it can also give you an idea of any issue your body is dealing with in general.

To help you better understand what your tongue is telling you, we’ll share some common issues people have with their tongue and what it may be telling you.

Size

While it may seem strange, there are conditions that cause the tongue to swell, leaving people with a mouth full of tongue. Called macroglossia, this increase in size can be caused by conditions like hyperthyroidism and tuberculosis, which, if treated, can reduce the size of the tongue. So, if you’re thinking your tongue looks larger than normal, be sure to bring it up with your doctor or dentist.

Colour

White – A thin white film that covers the tongue is often caused by thrush, which we’ve covered in a separate blog post here.

Black or brown – This is also known as ‘hairy tongue’, which we’ll cover down below.

Red – Typically, the tongue is a reddish pink, but if it starts to skew too far towards the red side of the spectrum, you may be dealing with a deficiency in iron, folic acid or vitamin B-12. An allergic reaction to gluten may also cause this.

Texture

Hairy – A healthy tongue is covered by small bumps, called papillae, which can, in some people, become overgrown if the tongue is not kept clean. This makes the tongue look hairy, and often causes it to darken to brown or even black.

Fissured – Some people deal with a naturally fissured tongue. This is nothing to worry about and is not a symptom of a disease or syndrome. However, if you, or someone you know, has a fissured tongue, it’s important to brush it or get a tongue cleaner to ensure there are no bacteria hiding in those fissures.