Surely you are used to seeing your tongue reddish-pink, whose texture is soft, so it is normal to be alarmed if you notice that it changes color. The mouth can reflect the general health of your body and that is why any change in it could be indicating an infection or other problem. In the case of the tongue, it can change its color and appearance for various reasons, although it does not always mean that there is pathology.
Why do I have a green tongue – main causes
There are a wide variety of reasons why your tongue can turn green, or a greenish-yellow tone, and you have to take them into account to end the problem as soon as possible. The most frequent causes are the following:
- Oral thrush.
- hairy tongue
- Poorly healed tongue piercing.
- Other causes: eating foods with chlorophyll or green dye, upper respiratory tract infection or some liver problems.
Why do I have a green tongue: oral candidacies
Oral candidacies is one of the most common causes of green tongue and it is due to fungal infections . This condition is considered to be of the opportunistic type, that is, it attacks your body when its immune system is weak, although it also occurs in people who have been using an ill-fitting prosthesis or for a long period of time. Really, when faced with this problem, a white tongue usually occurs, but if it is super infected by bacteria or due to the use of antifungal and antibiotics, it can turn green. In this other article we talk about what are the causes of oral candidacies.
Other symptoms of oral candidacies when suffering from this condition are: bad breath, burning sensation, pain when eating somewhat spicy foods and general malaise. Here you can learn more about what are the symptoms of oral candidacies.
Treating yeast infection is often about killing the infection by applying antifungal medications topically. With this and proper diet and hydration, the problem usually goes away in a short time.
Hairy tongue
The tongue is made up of filiform papillae, thanks to which we notice different tastes, and it is normal for these to detach from the tongue at more or less regular intervals of time, just like the natural peeling of the skin. However, there are cases where this detachment does not occur regularly and, consequently, the papillae lengthen , grow and the tips may darken. Also, people who suffer from elongated papillae are more at risk of bacterial infections.
This excessive growth causes the tongue to darken, being able to see a brown or brown tongue , which turns yellow or looks somewhat greenish in the center on the edges and, finally, it can become almost black. If you see that in any part of the darkened tongue there is an intense yellow or green color , it may be due to an infection.
The causes of a black, hairy or hairy tongue can be many but, above all, it occurs when there is a moment of very high stress (which produces a sudden increase in some hormones) and, just as more gray hair can suddenly appear in a specific area of the hair due to a sudden shock or stress, this problem can occur in the tongue. Other causes can be very poor oral hygiene, excessive tobacco consumption together with poor hygiene or the abuse of very strong mouthwashes.
Green color in the tongue due to infection in the piercing
A tongue piercing is a source of infections due to the fact that a wound has been produced through which, if the injury is not properly cared for until it heals, bacteria or any pathogen capable of causing an infection can penetrate. So you have any wound in the mouth and it becomes infected, a yellowish or green color may also appear on the tongue , which indicates that there is pus in the wound. Other symptoms that you will notice if your tongue piercing has become infected are pain in the area and a very bad taste in your mouth.
If you present any of these symptoms go to the doctor to give you the best treatment. Also, here we leave you several tips on how to care for a tongue piercing and recognize if there is an infection.
Other causes of green tongue
There are other less frequent causes or that have not been proven but it is suspected that because of them your tongue may turn green.
- Some foods with chlorophyll can leave this color on your tongue, but don't worry as this will disappear over time as you drink and eat more.
- When there is an upper respiratory tract infection that affects the throat and there is mucus, the tongue may have a slight green hue.
- It can also be due to a problem in the functioning of the liver. When bilirubin increases, the tongue can appear yellowish or, although less frequently, greenish. In addition, the mucous membranes, the whites of the eyes and the skin turn yellowish.
Remember to have proper oral hygiene and not only of your teeth, but also of the tongue. Also, do not hesitate to go to the doctor whenever you think it is minimally necessary or have doubts. Of course, if you see a very yellow or somewhat greenish hue (or even another color change, such as a brown or brownish hue) on your tongue, don't hesitate to see a doctor. Once you are given a diagnosis and treatment, make sure you follow it correctly.
