Your tongue doesn’t talk, but it can tell you about your health.  The tongue is a bodily organ that is capable of various voluntary muscular movements.  In humans, its main functions are to assist in speech and to distinguish food tastes, such as sour, salty, bitter, or sweet via tiny nodules, or papillae, commonly known as taste buds.

While we use these two main functions of the tongue every day, many people don’t know that the tongue can also serve as an indicator to your overall health.  A healthy tongue is consistently pink in color and covered with visible papillae.  However, a change in your tongue’s appearance may provide clues to a change in your health, and below are a few of the more common examples.

• Redness on the tongue can indicate a vitamin deficiency, such as a lack of B12, iron, or folic acid, and could also imply a strep throat infection or fever.

• A fuzzy black or brown appearance can indicate a buildup in bacteria that could lead to an oral bacterial infection. While generally harmless, it is an indicator of poor oral hygiene.

• A whitish, cottage cheese-like coating could mean the presence of oral thrush, a fungal yeast infection in the mouth.

• Cracks or fissures in your tongue, while generally harmless, may become infected.

It’s important to check your tongue regularly as part of a good daily oral care routine and to let your dentist know if you notice any changes in your tongue’s appearance.