What Makes your tongue Gray

Normally, tongues are pink and healthy, and you may notice that it’s a varying degree. It’s usually not something that you think about the most, and usually, your teeth are the primary focus. But if you see it become grayish, concerns might be there. Some people may wonder what the cause of a gray tongue is, and whether you should worry about this. Here, we’ll go over what it is, the risk factors, and the treatments. 

It’s Usually Leukoplakia 

This is a condition where you get gray and white patches that appear within the mouth. They may be on your tongue, or on the gums and cheeks. They’re usually not painful and you might not even notice it, unless you look at the tongue, or you scrape all of this off.

If you smoke a lot, have lots of alcohol, or like to chew tobacco, you’re usually not going to get this.  It’s not something that you shouldn’t pay mind to, but for the most part, it’s not dangerous. Untreated though, you might get oral cancer. 

Oral Lichen Planus 

This is an inflammatory condition that affects some parts of your body creating bumps that are reddish-purple, and they may be rashes too.

This usually creates gray and lacy lesions on the tongue, and this can usually create ulcers in some people, sores, or a sensation that it’s burning.

Most of the time, you usually won't even be able to determine how this is  caused, but this happens usually when there are immune responses. If your immune system is weakened, you also may have some risk for this.

There are other triggers too, including: 

• The flu vaccine 

• Some chemicals and anagram metals 

• Hepatitis C

• Some pain relievers like ibuprofen or arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, and blood pressure medication 

This is usually not harmful, but usually about 1% of the cases account for oral cancer 

Oral Thrush 

This is basically candida, and it’s a yeast. This is basically a fungus that’s present naturally within our mouths, but when it’s overgrown, it can cause problems over time. This also happens to babies and adults that have immune systems which are weakened. This usually creates patches that are white, with a cottage cheese texture on them, including where your tongue is.

They’re usually not totally removed easily, and usually, it’s bleeding and red. You shouldn’t get rid of this yourself. You should definitely go see your doctor, as it can be caused by immune systems which are weakened, cancer, diabetes, and even some antibiotic resistance due to years of poor treatment and imbalance. 

Bad Oral hygiene 

Finally, you may just have bad oral hygiene that’s causing this.  You may have some possible inflammation in your tongue papillae, the little hairy projections, and they become inflamed due to the bad oral hygiene. These cells get trapped, and that causes an appearance of a white coating.  Usually, it also comes with bad breath too. 

The best way to treat this is to see your dentist, as they can offer you the ideal treatment.

Most of the time, they’ll look it over to make sure it doesn’t turn into cancer, and they’ll ask you to quit those lifestyle habits like smoking and alcohol for now.  Usually, lichen planus goes away naturally, but there are some gels which help.

For the most part, oral thrush is treated by prescriptions, depending on the situation.

The bet way to treat this yourself, is to make sure that you take care of your teeth by brushing and flossing and making sure that you clean your tongue. 

The Science of a Smile

Smiling is something so simple, but it can play a huge part in how we start to feel in life. But did you know that your smile plays a part in our mental health? When we have a bright, shining smile, we regard ourselves better. But a smile that’s marred with stains and chipped and broken teeth might cause some problems for people, which is what we will go into here. 

Oral Health and Self-Esteem 

You might not think so, but when we take care of our oral health, we feel better. 

This is because when we do things that are good for our minds and bodies, we tend to feel good. think about how happy you are after getting a haircut, or maybe getting some new clothes.

Our healthy smiles help to imbue us with confidence, and it can make us feel like we’re on the top of the world, even when we don’t necessarily always feel that way.

The Link Between Bad Oral health and Mental Health Concerns 

Many people with mental health concerns end up struggling with their own appearances.

This is beyond just your teeth as well. Those who are slovenly, maybe dealing with skin and other health issues, tend to feel bad about themselves.

When people have teeth that are decayed and look worn down, they feel bad. It’s because they’re not taking care of themselves, and it shows in the way that they act. Many who already struggle with this might not even bother to change their habits over time.

This contributes to depression, especially long-term depression. Many people who have it tend to forgo all of their own other habits as well, so they just don’t take care of anything. It also can lead to further health issues, including periodontitis, and eventually leading to other parts of the body.

Anxiety is the other dental health issue that can happen. When we don't take care of ourselves, we tend to grow anxious, because we believe that everyone’s judging us. In turn, this leads to developing an anxiety disorder, due to everything that’s happened. So yes, if you’re not taking care of it now, it will definitely cause ripples of effects later on.

The Magic of Smile Makeovers 

Have a bad smile but you feel like the world is ending? Don’t fret! A smile makeover might be what you need.

This is where a dentist does many things to take that drab smile to a fab one. Implants, crowns, even fillings and polishing, along with whitening treatments, might be preserved. 

This can be done for those who struggle with their own health, and sometimes feel like their smile is holding them back. you’d be amazed at the difference that this can do for you, and the impact that it makes.

It will change your life, beyond your appearance. Though it might cost a lot of money, the effects of what will happen are monstrous, and will definitely craft a whole bunch of unique means to improve your own oral health.

So yes, you should get a smile makeover, in order to prioritize your own emotional well-being. 

Change your Smile, change your Life 

It might seem like such a small thing, but your smile will create a whole profound impact on how you view the world. 

If you aren’t taking care of your smile yet, now is the time. Do so today, and may you start to feel the added benefits of finally taking your own oral health into your hands and getting the smile that you know you rightfully deserve!

How to Prevent Morning Breath to Freshen your Day

Have you ever just woken up in the morning and got grossed out by the sheer smell of your breath? It happens, and it’s something that is never fun to deal with. 

Morning breath happens due to the growth of bacteria overnight. Various conditions inside the mouth are what contribute to this nasty breath, and can be a pain to deal with. 

Here, we’ll go over why morning breath is a plague and what happens, and what you can do to prevent this nasty breath from ruining your day.

The Science Behind This bad Breath 

Bad breath doesn’t just magically happen. While some may be genetically predisposed due to having drier mouth conditions, if you don’t do anything about it, it causes this.

At night, bacteria will fester and grow, resulting in that bacteria happening overnight, until you take care of it.

The second factor associated with this is your mouth’s dryness. Dry mouth contributes to bad breath in the morning. without the saliva to clear out some of the bacteria, it’s left to fester and grow, resulting in some Melly breath as a result. 

Being able to have fresher, nicer breath every morning is great for you to do. Breaking the cycle involves not just looking at the bacteria that you have, but also looking at how dry or moist the mouth is too.

What to do the Night Before 

The night before, you need to focus on your evening routine, making it better for prevention of morning breath.

First, you want to brush and floss, but then you also want to get a tongue scraper, scraping the tongue as best as you can. if you see a white film, get rid of it. brushing your tongue does work, but if you want the true hygiene experience, then you’ll want to get a tongue scraper for that really nasty bacteria.

The second thing is mouthwash. Mouthwash is good for killing all the germs overnight. Try to avoid using an alcohol mouthwash, because it may dry out the mouth and also cause mor problems for your mouth. 

What about the Long-Term 

Some people may be able to avoid morning breath with these different tips. But for those who have long-term morning breath, here’s a few things that you can do. 

First, is the dental changes. Go to your doctor and get a diagnosis of your mouth, and also find out if there are any issues with your oral health. This is a good place to begin, since it will help with ensuring the right oral health aspects.

The second thing is water. Drinking water, especially before bed, will flush out so much of that gunk, then it will be even better. 

Finally, you should also consider dietary changes. Try to eat less processed, sugary foods, and consider eating foods that naturally clean the mouth, such as calcium-rich foods, and leafy greens as well. 

You should try to make it so that you eat stuff that will contribute to remineralization, and also try to avoid eating stuff that will make the bacteria worse for you. 

Morning breath isn’t something that you have to deal with all the time. Nor is it something that you’re cursed with. By taking care of the oral health you have, ensuring that you drink enough water and also ensure that you’re getting care whenever your oral health begins slipping, you’ll be able to, throughout all of this, craft the best oral health that you can, and also improve your oral health, so that your teeth last longer, and look even better.