{"id":112,"date":"2019-11-05T19:36:00","date_gmt":"2019-11-05T19:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rodneyallendds.com\/blog\/?p=112"},"modified":"2019-12-05T19:36:16","modified_gmt":"2019-12-05T19:36:16","slug":"what-your-tongue-says-about-your-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rodneyallendds.com\/blog\/2019\/11\/05\/what-your-tongue-says-about-your-health\/","title":{"rendered":"What Your Tongue Says About Your Health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rodneyallendds.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/AdobeStock_218379552__1570208825_66866-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"person sticking their tongue out \" class=\"wp-image-113\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rodneyallendds.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/AdobeStock_218379552__1570208825_66866-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rodneyallendds.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/AdobeStock_218379552__1570208825_66866-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rodneyallendds.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/AdobeStock_218379552__1570208825_66866.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re wondering whether there\u2019s something wrong with\nyour <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rodneyallendds.com\/preventive-dentistry.html\">oral\nhealth<\/a>, a good indication would be to stick out your tongue and look in the\nmirror. A completely healthy tongue should be pink and covered with tiny bumps\ncalled papillae. Any deviation from this norm, or pain on your tongue, should be\ncause for concern, and you should get evaluated by your family dentist in\nParker. Let\u2019s look at what different problems on your tongue can mean for your\noral health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sore or Bumpy Tongue <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Painful bumps on the tongue may be due to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Smoking: <\/strong>Tobacco irritates the tongue,\nwhich may result in soreness. <\/li><li><strong>Trauma:<\/strong> Biting your tongue or chowing\ndown on something fresh out of the oven can cause damage that takes a few days\nto heal. Additionally, grinding your teeth can irritate the sides of your\ntongue. <\/li><li><strong>Canker sores:<\/strong> Many people develop these\nmouth ulcers at one point or another, and they usually heal on their own. <\/li><li><strong>Oral cancer:<\/strong> If you have a sore area on\nyour tongue that doesn\u2019t heal after a few days, see your dentist. It could be\nan early sign of oral cancer. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Black and Hairy Tongue <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The papillae on your tongue grow throughout your life, just\nlike your hair. For some people, they grow excessively long, which makes them a\ngreat place for bacteria to build up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When these bacteria accumulate, they might appear black, and\nthe overgrown papillae may look like hair. Luckily, this condition usually isn\u2019t\nserious and can often be remedied with increased oral hygiene. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Red Tongue <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If your tongue is red, it could be indicative of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Vitamin deficiency: <\/strong>Your tongue might\ntake on a reddish hue if you\u2019re lacking in vitamin B-12 or folic acid. <\/li><li><strong>Scarlet fever:<\/strong> If your red tongue is\naccompanied by a high fever, you should see your doctor. Antibiotics are needed\nto treat scarlet fever. <\/li><li><strong>Kawasaki disease:<\/strong> This is a serious\nmedical condition that causes the tongue to take on a strawberry-like (red and bumpy)\nappearance. It occurs mainly in young children and requires immediate medical\nattention. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">White Tongue or White Spots on Tongue <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A white tongue could mean:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Oral thrush: <\/strong>White patches could mean a\nyeast infection inside the mouth known as oral thrush. It\u2019s most commonly seen\nin young children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems. <\/li><li><strong>Leukoplakia:<\/strong> The cells in your mouth\nmight be growing excessively, leading to white patches in the mouth and on the\ntongue. Leukoplakia can sometimes be a precursor to cancer, but not necessarily.\nIt\u2019s best to see your dentist for an evaluation. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Your family dentist in Parker North says everyone should\ncheck their tongue daily when they brush and floss. If you notice any abnormalities\nthat don\u2019t go away within two weeks, come in for an appointment so your dentist\ncan determine what\u2019s wrong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Author <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Rodney L. Allen has been providing excellent,\npersonalized dental care in Parker, CO for 20 years and counting. Before that,\nhe achieved his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Baylor College of\nDentistry. Since then, he has participated in numerous continuing education\ncourses, including classes at Spear Education. If your tongue has been looking\nor feeling strange lately, you can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rodneyallendds.com\/contact-us.html\">contact Dr. Allen\u2019s\npractice<\/a> at (720) 851-6784.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re wondering whether there\u2019s something wrong with your oral health, a good indication would be to stick out your tongue and look in the mirror. A completely healthy tongue should be pink and covered with tiny bumps called papillae. Any deviation from this norm, or pain on your tongue, should be cause for concern, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Family Dentist in Parker | Black Hairy Tongue | Dr. Rodney Allen<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Did you know that your tongue can tell you a lot about your health? A family dentist in Parker is here to let you know what to watch out for on your tongue.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rodneyallendds.com\/blog\/2019\/11\/05\/what-your-tongue-says-about-your-health\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Family Dentist in Parker | Black Hairy Tongue | Dr. Rodney Allen\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Did you know that your tongue can tell you a lot about your health? A family dentist in Parker is here to let you know what to watch out for on your tongue.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rodneyallendds.com\/blog\/2019\/11\/05\/what-your-tongue-says-about-your-health\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rodney L. Allen DDS Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-11-05T19:36:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-12-05T19:36:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rodneyallendds.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/AdobeStock_218379552__1570208825_66866-300x200.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"rallenddsteam\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"rallenddsteam\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rodneyallendds.com\/blog\/2019\/11\/05\/what-your-tongue-says-about-your-health\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.rodneyallendds.com\/blog\/2019\/11\/05\/what-your-tongue-says-about-your-health\/\",\"name\":\"Family Dentist in Parker | Black Hairy Tongue | Dr. Rodney Allen\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rodneyallendds.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rodneyallendds.com\/blog\/2019\/11\/05\/what-your-tongue-says-about-your-health\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rodneyallendds.com\/blog\/2019\/11\/05\/what-your-tongue-says-about-your-health\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.rodneyallendds.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/AdobeStock_218379552__1570208825_66866-300x200.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-11-05T19:36:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-12-05T19:36:16+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rodneyallendds.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/5ba9d87fd92f3c15777d4e1cac64c620\"},\"description\":\"Did you know that your tongue can tell you a lot about your health? 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