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What you should know about yellow tongue

Ordinarily, yellow tongue is a harmless condition that causes a thick, yellowish coating on the tongue. Yellow tongue tends to occur when dead skin cells, bacteria, or discoloring particles become trapped or buildup on the tongue’s surface.

Mostly, yellow tongue clears up with basic home care. But on rare occasions, the condition is a symptom of a more serious health condition that requires medical attention, usually jaundice.

The signs of yellow tongue vary depending on the cause. In the majority of cases, basic at home care, especially good oral hygiene, resolves cases of yellow tongue within a matter of days to weeks.

Fast facts on yellow tongue:

A wide variety of factors can cause or contribute to the development of yellow tongue.

Some medications and medical conditions can cause dehydration and dry mouth.

Though rare, in some cases yellow tongue is a sign of jaundice.

What causes it?

A few specific habits, conditions, and medications are known to increase a person’s likelihood of developing the condition. Causes of yellow tongue include:

Oral hygiene products with oxidizing agents: Some oral hygiene products, such as mouthwashes, rinses, and toothpaste, contain chemicals or particles that cause dry mouth, irritate skin cells on the tongue, or cause them to change color.

Poor oral hygiene, tobacco use, mouth breathing or dry mouth, foods with dyes, colorants, or those that stick to the tongue.

Many foods contain dyes or colorants that can stain the tongue yellow, or are sticky and remain stuck to the tongue, discoloring its surface.

Certain medications and drugs, several medications and drugs also contain staining particles, cause pigment discoloration, or weaken the immune system.

Common substances and medications that may increase the likelihood of developing yellow tongue include:

diabetes and many diabetes management medications

blood-thinning medications

antibiotics, lansoprazole (Prevacid), chlorhexidine (found in some disinfectant mouth rinses), iron salts, minocycline, bismuth subsalicylate, cancer and radiation medications, antipsychotic medications, some Illicit drugs, such as cocaine, can also cause the tongue to discolor.

When should people see a doctor?

In some instances, especially when accompanied by noticeable symptoms, yellow tongue can be a sign of more serious health complications, such as jaundice.

Reasons to seek medical attention for yellow tongue include:

symptoms of jaundice, including yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes, bruising, fever, vomiting, nausea, fever, bloody diarrhea, and abdominal pain

concern over the appearance of tongue color change or other tongue changes

the color not going away with basic lifestyle adjustments, home remedies, or lasts longer than 2 weeks pain, symptoms that get noticeably worse for no apparent reason, very thick, pronounced skin cells on the tongue (papillae) that look like a layer of fur.

Are there any complications?

The only complications associated with yellow tongue are those linked to more serious underlying conditions, such as jaundice.

Potential complications of jaundice include:

liver scarring, failure, and cancer

gastrointestinal inflammation, damage, and swelling

fluid retention and swelling in the lower body

spleen inflammation and enlargement

cerebral palsy and deafness are severe complications in newborns.

Oral hygiene is an essential factor. The same habits and remedies that help treat yellow tongue also help prevent it. Common ways to treat and prevent yellow tongue include:

Increasing frequency and thoroughness of teeth brushing.

Brushing the teeth or rinsing using an antibacterial mouth rinse after meals. These are available to purchase in health stores, pharamacies, and online.

Brushing the tongue gently with a soft-bristled toothbrush.

Using a fluoride rinse. These are available to purchase in health stores, pharamacies, and online.

Scraping the tongue gently every day.

Rinsing out the mouth once daily for 60 seconds with a mixture of 1 part hydrogen peroxide to 5 parts water, rinsing the mouth with water several times after.

Applying baking soda directly to the tongue for 60 seconds before rinsing off.

Quitting smoking or using tobacco products.

Treating sinus infections.

 

(02/05/2021)
by Medical News Today

More Information: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320022

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