What Does Your Tongue Say About Your Health?

 

While your tongue is not the window to your soul, it can tell a story. The color of your tongue or soreness can indicate that you have something going on that you need to take care of. While some of these things may go away on their own, others may require treatment. Get the facts! Here are 3 things to watch out for. 

1.    A tongue that is sore or sensitive to the touch might be a sign of a food allergy. You may experience pain in just one spot or you might have pain that seems to be all over. If the pain does not subside in a reasonable amount of time you will want to contact your cosmetic dentist. 

 

2.    Be aware that a bright Red Tongue that is redder than normal could be a symptom of several different things. The most common is B-12 deficiency. If you are worried and not sure if you are getting enough B-12, a visit to the doctor can help with this one. 

 

3.    White patches on your tongue might be a sign of oral cancer. If you are a smoker or chew tobacco to be on the safe side you will want to quit and schedule a consult with Dr. Judy Strutz and her dental team to be sure that it isn’t something more serious. 

Does Your Child Protect Their Entire Mouth From Bacteria?

There are bacteria that stays in your child’s mouth all the time. You may think that if they are brushing and flossing that is enough. Unfortunately, there are bacteria around the gum line, on their tongue, and on their cheeks. Just brushing and flossing their teeth is fantastic, but your child will need to do more than that if they are going to have a healthy smile.  Here are 3 tips from Dr. Cameron Fuller and his team on how to keep your child’s smile healthy.

1.     Brush the tongue. There are bacteria that live on the tongue and if your child does not brush their tongue the bacteria can increase and build up causing bad breath, decay and other dental problems.

2.     Have them utilize floss that works for them. Flossing can be a difficult task, so you want to ensure they are able to floss all of their teeth. They also need to be able to floss their back teeth as it is easy for bacteria and food to build up on the back teeth causing a problem.

3.     When they are old enough, have them use mouth wash. This will rinse some of the bacteria not only from the surface of their teeth, but from the rest of their mouth as well.

While there are always bacteria in the mouth, preventing it from being an excessive amount can improve your child’s dental health. For more information, contact Dr. Cameron Fuller and his team.