What Does a Healthy, Normal Tongue Look Like?
Your tongue is a vital muscle that is responsible for tasting, helping break down food, and assisting with swallowing. The tongue also helps with your speech and communication. Though kids may play with their tongues or stick them out in disgust or make silly faces with their tongues, they are not to be overlooked. The small bumps on your tongue, called papillae, contain your taste buds, which allow your tongue to serve its many functions. Taking care of your tongue can help your oral hygiene and keep teeth healthy. Brushing your tongue regularly and cleaning it helps you avoid having a thick white coating on your tongue and other problems in your mouth.
The best way to keep your tongue healthy is by drinking plenty of water, eating a balanced healthy diet and cleaning your tongue regularly. You can get a tongue scraper to help easily remove particles from the surface of your tongue and it can freshen up your breath. Brushing your teeth daily and including your tongue in your brushing routine also helps. Learn more below about what a healthy tongue looks like and how you and your kids can take charge of your tongue health.
Healthy Normal Tongue Colour
A healthy tongue is a pinkish colour with a rough, sometimes bumpy like texture. Your tongue may change colours and look different depending on what you eat and drink and whether you maintain your tongue health with routine oral hygiene. It’s smart to check your tongue daily and assess the color to monitor your health. Your tongue can show you other healthy symptoms and what’s going on in your body. Various health systems, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, have historically used tongue appearance to gauge overall health and wellbeing.