White Tongue Cure

White tongue can be an indicator of several things, right from build up of debris due to poor oral hygiene to oral thrush, syphilis and leukoplakia. However, most often it is not associated with any major medical condition. Therefore, the factors that usually cause the development of a white coating on tongue can be easily addressed. But at times, this tongue problem may be caused by conditions that call for medical attention. Many people also get white tongue and sore throat together.

White Tongue Causes

A tongue with white patches can seem quite alarming to many of us. But, it could be simply a sign that we are not maintaining good oral hygiene lately. Poor oral hygiene can cause the debris, dead cells and bacteria to build up on the surface of the tongue giving it a whitish appearance. In addition to poor oral hygiene, it can be caused by dehydration, excessive breathing through the mouth, fever, smoking and excessive consumption of alcohol. All these factors can cause the inflammation of the papillae, which are the tiny bump like outgrowth that coat our tongue. Inflammation of the papillae can cause the appearance of white tongue. Many times, food allergies can also cause bumps or tongue sores.

Appearance of a white coating on the tongue can be associated with oral thrush or yeast infection. This condition mainly affects the young children and adults, whose immune system is not strong enough to prevent the overgrowth of the fungus, candida albicans. Oral thrush can also be associated with prolonged use of medications like antibiotics and corticosteroids. Apart from these, other causes are, oral lichen planus, leukoplakia, geographic tongue and syphilis. Leukoplakia can be a precursor of cancer, while oral lichen planus is an autoimmune disorder that causes mouths sores and irritation of the tongue, along with the appearance of white stripes on it. Syphilis on the other hand, is a sexually transmitted bacterial infection.

White Tongue Treatment

It can be treated only after ascertaining the underlying causes. If this tongue problem is not associated with any health problem, then it can be alleviated with tongue cleaning or tongue scraping. Just give your tongue a good scrub with a toothbrush. Take a small amount of toothpaste on a soft brush and then brush the tongue slowly and gently, after which rinse your mouth with slightly warm water. You can also employ a tongue scraper to remove that white coating from the surface of your tongue. After cleaning your tongue, use an antibacterial mouthwash.

If it is due to yeast infection or oral thrush, then it would require appropriate treatment. You can find out whether it is oral thrush by just scraping the white tongue coating. If the coating scrapes off, leaving a reddened area, then it is most probably yeast infection or oral thrush. For treating oral thrush, you should immediately contact your physician. Your physician may prescribe appropriate antifungal medication. You can also take unsweetened yogurt as a home remedy for yeast infection. Unsweetened yogurt contains acidophilus bacteria, which can help to prevent the growth of candida albicans.

Another effective home remedy for oral thrush is garlic, while many people have benefited from the use of probiotics as well. If iy is not due to poor oral hygiene and oral thrush, then consider visiting your physician. This is because, this tongue problem may be a sign of some serious medical condition. Your physician would perform certain diagnostic tests in order to ascertain the exact causes of white tongue. On the basis of the results of such diagnostic tests, he or she would prescribe the appropriate medications.