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Occupied Tongue: Causes & Correction

We need our tongue for many things such as talking, eating, tasting, swallowing and kissing. So it is all the more important that the tongue is healthy! A healthy tongue is pale red, smooth, moist and is easy to move. However, due to certain diseases, such as infections or deficiency symptoms, it can happen that tongue coating develops. Depending on the trigger, this can be either white, yellowish, red or brown. In this article, you will learn all about different tongue coatings, what they mean and how to remove tongue lining. Of course, a healthy mouth also includes a healthy tongue.

Causes of an occupied tongue

But our tongue can do much more than allow us to speak, eat and swallow. Did you know that our tongue reflects the state of health of our body? If we are sick, this can often be seen in the tongue. Thus, various diseases, such as gastrointestinal problems, scarlet fever, fungal infections, diabetes, etc. can often be read on the tongue. Even in old age, food-related tongue coatings can occur more frequently if the intake of predominantly soft food reduces the natural abrasion of the tongue. 

Poor oral hygiene and poor dental health can also lead to tongue plaque, "as the poor tooth status favors the colonization of the tongue with plaque-forming bacteria."

This is what your tongue coating could say about your health:

White tongue: White tongue coating often develops due to gastrointestinal diseases as well as as as a result of flu or cold. Iron deficiency can also give the tongue a whitish appearance.
Yellow tongue: The causes of yellowish tongue coating can be diseases of the liver or gallbladder, as well as a fungal infection. Smokers also often suffer from a yellow tongue.
Red tongue: Typical causes of a red tongue are, for example, scarlet fever, vitamin deficiency, autoimmune diseases, tongue or vascular inflammation.
Brown tongue: A brown tongue coating can indicate kidney weakness, but also by taking certain medications, as well as very heavy smoking.
Black tongue ("hair tongue"): A black tongue coating occurs when the tongue papillae have changed due to taking certain medications, or due to coloring foods and beverages. A black tongue is unsightly, but usually unproblematic.