Your tongue helps you talk and eat. But what does your tongue say about your health? Could you be ignoring serious health warnings?

A healthy tongue is slightly pink in color, moist, and covered with tiny projections called papillae.

But when your tongue becomes discolored, swollen, stiff, sore or displays unusual features, take notice – your tongue is trying to tell you something.

Sometimes a change in our tongue is a simple vitamin deficiency or merely a sign you need to pay a little more attention to dental hygiene. But it can also be a sign of something more serious.

Take a close look at your tongue in the mirror right now, then compare what you find with these tongue health warnings:

#1:  White Tongue

Excessive cell growth can cause white patches called leukoplakia

Do you notice a whitish coating or white spots on your tongue? It could be one of the following health warnings:

• Dehydration — Are you staying properly hydrated? Dehydration can cause a white coating to develop on the tongue. Simply drink more water to remedy this condition.
• Oral thrush — Thrush is a yeast infection (Candida) that appears as whitish, velvety sores on your tongue and the mucus membrane lining of your mouth. Thrush is most common in infants and the elderly, denture wearers, and people with compromised immune systems. Antibiotic use also makes you more susceptible to thrush.
• Leukoplakia — Leukoplakia refers to an excessive growth of cells leading to white patches inside the mouth and on the tongue, most commonly found after the tongue has been irritated and linked to tobacco use. While leukoplakia is usually harmless it can be a precursor to cancer.

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