White tongue 101: Causes and solutions for furred tongue

Reading time: 5 mins

Our tongues are an essential part of everyday life, which is why it's so important that our tongue is healthy.

However, certain ailments and lifestyle habits can lead to something known as tongue covering. Here we’ll explore some of the causes of a furred tongue, including:

• Illnesses such as flu and cold
• Conditions such as vitamin deficiency and autoimmune diseases
• Medications
• Smoking
• Dietary staining

Ultimately, a healthy mouth requires a healthy tongue. So, read on to learn everything about different types of tongue coverings, coated tongue causes, how to get rid of a white tongue (and other colours too!), and finally how to prevent the onset of white coating on the tongue for the future.

What is a tongue covering?

A healthy tongue is pale red, smooth, moist, flexible, and free from dark spots or what may appear as white stuff on the tongue. A tongue covering is an often-unsightly new addition that can vary in appearance. You can have a yellow, red, brown, or whitish coating on your tongue. We’ll go on to explore the main reasons for white tongues and other colours in greater detail.

How to get rid of a white tongue

Even a healthy body regularly produces a thin covering on the tongue. This coating consists of food residues, dead cells, and germs. Usually, thorough oral hygiene including tongue cleaning is enough to get rid of a white coating on your tongue and other tongue coverings.¹² So, follow these steps to remove and prevent tongue covering:

• Brush your teeth regularly and thoroughly. You should brush your teeth twice a day, for at least two minutes. Take care to ensure you also clean interdental spaces (this can be done by flossing or using an interdental brush). This will not only help to remove tongue covering, but it is also good for your overall oral health and can help prevent conditions such as gingivitis.
  
  Tip: The Philips Sonicare ProtectiveClean is specially designed to be gentle on sensitive areas, remove up to 7x more plaque than a manual brush, and remove surface stains in as little as one week.^*
  
  
• Use a mouthwash at least once a day. As part of your regular oral hygiene routine utilising an antibacterial mouthwash is a great way to remove tongue covering causing bacteria and other build-ups on your tongue and around your mouth.
  
  Tip: If you’re looking for a more natural option, herbs such as chamomile, thyme, and sage have antibacterial qualities.¹⁶ Crushing these and making homemade mouthwash can help to remove tongue covering.
  
  
• Clean your tongue once a day too. Daily oral care should also entail cleaning your tongue, in order to prevent the settlement of bacteria on your tongue and to remove tongue covering.
  
  Tip: We recommend investing in the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Smart  which offers up to 10x more plaque removal for a deeper clean, and healthier gums in just two weeks.
  
  
• Rinse your mouth with saltwater. Salt is antibacterial13 and is a great option if you’re looking for home remedies to remove your tongue covering. If you’re wondering how to get rid of a white tongue, follow these steps to make a salt rinse: 
  
  1.    Dissolve a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water.
  2.    Swill this mix around your mouth for a few seconds.
  3.    Rinse your mouth with clean water.

• Make a trip to the dentist for professional tongue cleaning. In addition to professional teeth cleaning, some dentists offer professional tongue cleaning. This will remove tongue coverings and bacteria from the tongue.
  
  
• Reduce or quit smoking. While using the steps above will help you remove the coloured coatings that smoking can cause on your tongue, if you continue to smoke the tongue coating will just reappear. Quitting smoking is a great preventative measure you can take and will be beneficial not only to your tongue but also to your oral health and physical health too.

Tip: If the tongue coating is caused by illnesses or underlying conditions, it could be hard to remove it mechanically at home. In most cases, it will disappear by itself once the illness starts to subside.

So, there you go. Not as bad as you thought, right? With just a few basic pointers this guide can help you understand why you may develop a whitish coating on your tongue, brown coating, and other colours too. Plus, we’ve given you all the tips you need to keep your mouth and your tongue clean, so you’ll always be able to enjoy a healthy smile.

*Based on two brushing cycles of two minutes each per day in the Clean-Program

Sources:
¹ Purple-bluish tongue is associated with platelet counts, and the recurrence of epithelial ovarian cancer, Science Direct
² The tongue associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus, National Library of Medicine
³ Tongue problems, Medline Plus
⁴ Mouth Microbes, National Institute of Health
⁵ Effects of Tobacco Smoking on the Dorsum of the Tongue and Buccal Epithelium, National Library of Medicine
⁶ Oral thrush: Overview, National Library of Medicine
⁷ Sore or white tongue, NHS
⁸ Bacillus as a potential diagnostic marker for yellow tongue coating, National Library of Medicine
⁹ The Response of the Tongue Epithelial on Cigarette Smoke Exposure as a Risk Factor for Oral Cancer Development, National Library of Medicine
¹⁰ Strawberry Tongue, The New England Journal of Medicine
¹¹ Black hairy tongue, NHS Royal Berkshire
¹² The Effect of Mechanical Tongue Cleaning on Oral Malodor and Tongue Coating, National Library of Medicine
¹³ Antimicrobial properties of salt (NaCl) used for the preservation of natural casings, National Library of Medicine
¹⁴ Kawasaki disease, NHS
¹⁵ Scarlet fever, NHS
¹⁶ Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Antiviral Properties of Herbal Materials, National Library of Medicine