The Basics of Problems with the Tongue

Tongue is one of the strongest muscles of the body. It is basically a combination of different muscles. These muscles help us taste the foods, talk and swallow the foods we eat. a healthy tongue is pink in color and it is covered with papillae.

Since the tongue is the most used muscle of the body, having any problem in it can cause great frustration. There can be many reasons for the problems in tongue. The good news is that most of those problems are not quite serious and they either go away on their own or require minor treatment.

Nevertheless, there can be certain tongue problems which can be quite serious. Remember, the problem in tongue is most commonly not a condition. It is just a symptom of the condition. Having that said, problems like vitamin deficiency, oral cancer and HIV/AIDS can also result in the change of looks, shape and texture of the tongue. Therefore, you need to get your tongue checked whenever you feel there is an issue with it.

Reasons for white tongue

There can be a number of reasons for the coating on the tongue to turn white or the development of white spots on the tongue.

• The first to mention is the leukoplakia. In this condition, the cells of the mouth grow excessively. And this overgrowth can result in the development of white patches all over the inside of the mouth, including your tongue. The leukoplakia is not a serious condition but, in some cases, it can be a precursor to cancer. Therefore, it is quite important to get your oral cavity checked if you find any symptoms that resemble leukoplakia.
• Another common infection is the oral thrush, which is also known as yeast infection. This problem is most commonly seen in infants and elderly people. The most common reason for oral thrush is the use of antibiotics. Other causes of thrush include diabetes, lung disease and asthma.

Reasons for red strawberry tongue

There are a few reasons your tongue may turn red. In some instances, the tongue may look like a strawberry with black dots. Some reasons for red tongue are worth mentioning in this regard.

• The first reason to mention is the vitamin deficiency. Lack of folic acid or vitamin B-12 can result in the tongue to look red.
• Sometimes, your tongue may start developing patches of red color. The overall look of the tongue may be quite like a map. This condition is not harmful and it goes away on its own. But you need to see the dentist if the condition persists beyond 2 weeks.
• Another condition which involves high fever and strawberry-like tongue is the scarlet fever. This condition can be treated with the help of antibiotics.

Black hairy tongue

A black hairy tongue may look quite scary but the matter of fact is that it not something much to worry about. This condition is mainly associated with the overgrowth of papillae. And when they grow, they cause the bacteria to get trapped inside and give a black look of the tongue’s surface. Proper brushing or tongue and scrapping can help you in get rid of this condition.

Going to the dentist

Your tongue has a lot to say when it comes to analysis of your health. The good news is that your dentist can help you in diagnosing any health condition which involves change of the shape and looks of your tongue. Therefore, visiting the dentist regularly will help you not only in maintaining your oral health but also your overall health.

The History of Oral Hygiene

Even the ancient people knew about oral hygiene. Here, you may wonder how they could know about it when there were no toothpastes with unlimited flavors available. Well, the matter of fact is that they had some pretty creative solutions at hand to take care of their oral hygiene.

The history of toothbrush

The most common way of cleaning teeth in the ancient times involves use of wooden sticks with frayed ends. This way of cleaning the teeth dates back to 3500 BC when people of Babylonia used feathers, bones, or even porcupine quills to clean interdental portions. Greek and Roman people used these items as toothpicks.

First toothbrush was developed in in China in the late 1400’s. This toothbrush mainly used animal hair attached to the bamboo stick.

In 1780, a man serving a stint in British prison constructed a toothbrush which consisted of bone with hairs as bristles. The bone had small holes drilled in it, and the hairs were inserted in the holes and then glued. This toothbrush became so popular that the prisoner, named William Adis, started manufacturing toothbrushes after serving his time in the jail. His company, named Wisdom Toothbrushes, is still in business.

In 1938, nylon-bristled toothbrushes were introduced by Dupont. These are the toothbrushes that we use in this day and age. First electric toothbrush was invented in Switzerland and introduced to the international market in 1954.

The toothpaste

You may tend to think about ancient people being oblivious to anything that could add flavor and effectiveness to the teeth’s cleaning. But the matter of fact is that the current form of toothpaste is in the current form after going through a lot of permutations and improvements since the ancient times.  In a 4th century Egyptian manuscript, it has been found that people at that time used a mixture of pepper, salt, mint leaves, and iris flowers to clean their teeth. Ox hooves’ ashes and burnt eggshells are found to be the main ingredients of ancient toothpastes. Greeks and Romans used a mixture of Crushed bones and oyster shells in this regard. People in ancient china used Ginseng, mints, and salt.

In today’s era, people may not buy the idea of using above mentioned ingredients as a replacement of toothpaste but there is one thing worth mentioning that people at that time rarely had dental conditions like tooth decay and cavities. But then, another reason for overall good health of their oral cavities was that there were no processed or refined sugars available at that time.

Having that said, it would be important to keep in mind that it is not just the oral hygiene that you have to ensure. You also have to make sure that you avoid everything which can ruin your oral health.