Even in antiquity, the appearance of the tongue determined whether a person is healthy. It is this organ that is a kind of indicator of the state of the whole organism. One of the symptoms of pathological disorders is a dense indelible coating of atypical color on the tongue. And it is necessary to clarify that in the morning almost every person have a thin whitish or yellowish film, which is easily washed off during brushing – this is a completely natural phenomenon.
But if it is impossible to clear the tongue and the bad smell from the mouth joins the main symptom, then the reason lies in the pathological state. Today we’ll talk about why yellow plaque appears on the tongue and how to deal with it.
Where does the plaque come from?
Tongue takes a direct part in the process of chewing food and speaking. Every day, a huge number of bacteria accumulate on its surface. Therefore, during morning and evening brushing, it is so important to pay special attention to the tongue, cleaning its surface from food debris and harmful microorganisms. At night, when a person is sleeping, saliva becomes more viscous and worse washes the tissues of the oral cavity. The bacteria remaining on the mucosa are activated, resulting in a slight yellowish bloom in the morning – you should not worry about it.
If the plaque is dense, does not wash off during standard cleaning or quickly forms again, a person develops bad breath and other related symptoms, such as itching, swelling and soreness, then it means that the reason lies in the pathological processes occurring in the oral cavity or in the body. In this case, you can’t hesitate – you need to urgently see a doctor.
The most common causes of plaque on the tongue
The main reason for the formation of dense yellow plaque is considered to be a violation of the gastrointestinal tract. Often the symptom is accompanied by heartburn, nausea, a feeling of fullness of the stomach. But experts identify other possible prerequisites for the problem under consideration:
- Worms,
- Liver and kidney disease,
- Stagnation of bile,
- Inflammatory processes in the tissues of the oral cavity,
- Exacerbation of peptic ulcer,
- Excessive consumption of coffee and other drinks with intense coloring pigment,
- Poor quality oral hygiene.
You can learn a little more about the alleged cause by localizing the plaque. So, for example, the tip of the tongue is responsible for the work of the heart, and its lateral departments – for the liver and spleen. If the plaque is concentrated in the center, then the cause of all the troubles is most likely in the problems with the gastrointestinal tract.
What treatment methods are used today?
Treatment will directly depend on the root cause of the symptom. Only by eliminating the causative factor can the symptoms be overcome. In the presence of indelible yellow plaque on the tongue and problems with the secretion of bile, specialists usually prescribe choleretics, which increase the flow of bile, and cholekinetics, which increase the contractility of the gallbladder. Among other commonly prescribed medications, the following drugs can be used: