The human tongue is soft, does not bring discomfort while chewing food. Its color can be from pale pink to deep pink, there is an even fold that separates it from the base to the tip. Small papillae are smoothed out and practically invisible to the naked eye. However, few people can boast of a really healthy tongue: most have a small coating that can be distributed throughout the tongue completely or in separate parts. There are many reasons for this, no medical specialist will be able to understand exactly whether this is the norm or a deviation without examining the specific case in detail and not identifying the patient's disease.
Possible reasons
In most cases, plaque on the tongue does not indicate the presence of any disease. Any person's tongue can be coated from time to time. Correctly, when it is white, odorless, the color of the tongue and papilla is visible through it.
It is worth noting that its appearance in a healthy person may be associated with improper oral hygiene. When cleaning the oral cavity, it is necessary to treat not only the teeth, but also the tongue from base to tip. Now you can find various brushes that have a special coating on the back for cleaning the tongue. Small brushes or ribbed surfaces will also help to deal with excess plaque.
A common cause of plaque formation can be a banal reaction of the body to the change of year. In the warm season, the plaque is practically not noticeable, in winter it can become yellowish in hue, in autumn and spring it becomes dry and snow-white.
The hormonal maturation of girls and boys also affects the appearance of plaque: between the ages of 13 and 17, as a rule, there is a significant thickening of the plaque layer.
However, plaque is not always the norm. A deviation is considered when a plaque on the tongue begins to cause discomfort, an odor appears, and the thickness of the layer increases.
Dangerous symptoms
The main signs of pathological plaque in the tongue are called:
- Language color . The color of a normal coating on the tongue is always white, however, with some diseases it can be yellow, gray, green and black. The easiest way to determine the degree of the disease is to match the color of the plaque to the norm. The lighter the pigment, the earlier the disease is, and vice versa. It is worth noting that a variety of coloring drinks, smoking significantly affect the color of plaque on the tongue. It is possible to determine the complexity of the disease only if these harmful factors are excluded from the patient's daily schedule.
- Thickness . The coating on the tongue usually allows the color to be seen through it. In the early stages of viral diseases, colds, flu, the plaque thickens a little, however, it can be easily removed with a stick or brush. In the case when the plaque is not removed in any way or has a large thickness, does not allow you to see the color of the tongue, we can talk about the presence of serious chronic diseases in the patient.
- Location . Plaque on the tongue can be distributed evenly, covering the entire surface, or locally, gathering in certain places. Depending on the specifics of the situation, some diseases are determined.
- Appearance . The appearance of the plaque makes it possible to judge the stage and type of the disease. In various cases, it is greasy, dry, wet.
- Ease of removal . It is considered normal if the plaque is easily separated from the tongue. A dense formation that is almost impossible to separate is a sign of a chronic disease. A soft coating or spots that reappear after cleansing after a few hours is often seen in acute infections.
Plaque in infectious diseases
Viruses are a common cause of plaque on the tongue. Depending on their type, different types of plaque are distinguished:
- Diphtheria (dirty gray on the back and root of the tongue);
- Scarlet fever (up to 6 days white-gray, after that it completely disappears and exposes the red and dry surface of the tongue);
- Dysentery (white, thick and thick, painful);
- cholera (color can be from green to black);
- whooping cough (white or yellowish, which causes an unpleasant odor);
- foot-and-mouth disease (yellow, painful when removed, may irritate papillae);
- Leprotrichosis (gray, which causes plaque formations);
- Candidiasis (milky white spots on the base of the tongue).
Plaque in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract
The second most common cause of severe plaque on the tongue is gastrointestinal disease.
- Acute gastritis (gray and thick, concentrated in the center and at the base of the tongue);
- Chronic gastritis (grayish yellow on the middle and back of the tongue);
- Enterocolitis (gray or yellow color, dense consistency);
- Ulcer (focused on the base of the tongue, gray in color)
- Pancreatitis (yellow, causing an increase in papillae and desquamation of the epithelium);
- Dysbacteriosis (brown or black, causes hyperplasia of the filiform papillae);
- Stomach cancer (very dense milk);
- Diseases of the gallbladder and liver (yellowness in front of the tongue).
Plaque with other diseases
Sometimes a plaque on the tongue can signal diseases that are not infectious or gastrointestinal.
- Pustular erythroderma (large foci of gray plaque);
- Kidney failure (dense white-gray plaque that has an unpleasant odor);
- Radiation sickness (abundant white coating, which causes hemorrhages and cracks in the tongue);
- Dehydration (with the severity of the disease, the plaque begins to darken);
- Smoking and alcoholism (brown coating at the base of the tongue).
Plaque treatment on the tongue
Before proceeding with the treatment of plaque in the tongue, its causes should be determined. To do this, you will need to pass a general blood test, sowing from the mucous membrane of the tongue, an analysis for antibodies, a biochemical blood test, ultrasound of the abdominal strip, fibrogastroduodenoscopy, and a coprogram. The list and priority of tests may vary depending on the typology of the disease and the appointments of the attending physician. For advice on issues, you can contact such specialists as a general practitioner, an infectious disease specialist and a gastroenterologist. If a pathological disease is detected, the specialist will prescribe a specific treatment aimed primarily at eliminating the causes of plaque.
Folk methods of dealing with plaque in the tongue
In the case when there is no reason to associate plaque on the tongue with any diseases, you need to take care of proper oral hygiene. Cleaning with a special brush and the use of rinse aids guarantees the removal of plaque. Useful and folk methods of dealing with plaque, which causes discomfort:
- A decoction of yarrow and oregano (a tablespoon of a mixture of herbs is brewed with a cup of water and rinsed in the mouth three times a day);
- Decoction of flax seed (a teaspoon of flax and a glass of boiling water, taken before meals);
- A decoction of oak, chamomile, sage and mint (pour 3 tablespoons of the mixture with boiling water, leave for 2 hours, then rinse your mouth after eating).
It is worth noting that even the simplest herbal infusions can be harmful if the proportions are not respected and the intake schedule is not followed.
