Sore Tongue Treatment: White Tongue Treatment
What is Sore Tongue? Stomatitis is the medical term for sore tongue. It is an inflammation of the mucous lining of any part in the mouth, which may involve cheeks, gums, tongue, lips, throat or on the roof or floor of the mouth. It is quite a common disease, not very dangerous, but is a bit of a nuisance. It can last for few days or up to two weeks.
What Causes Sore Tongue? Most often it is assumed that vitamin-B deficiency is the cause, which is not always the case. The most common reason for sore tongue is antibiotic related glossitis, where the tongue is red and bald; caused mainly by indiscriminate use of antibiotics. It could also be due to disturbances in the normal bacterial flora or overgrowth of fungus. It can be caused by Vitamin-B deficiency and may be due to chemical imbalance in the tongue. Other reasons include anemia, medications, radiation therapy, or infections.
What causes white tongue? White tongue or oral thrush is a surface infection that may affect the corners of the mouth, the insides of the cheeks, palate, tongue, and throat. It is caused by the overgrowth of Candida fungus. It is common in newborn babies, though adults can get affected due to medication that affects the immune system, cancer treatment, or antibiotics. The initial symptoms include a bad taste in your mouth and curd like white patches inside the mouth. These patches may become inflamed beneath the surface.
What Can I Do? The best cure for sore tongue is turmeric powder, a powerful healing agent. Take half a teaspoon of turmeric powdered at home and mix well in a cup of warm milk along with some sugar. You can apply this mixture twice a day to heal a sore tongue. You may fry alum in a frying pan to dehydrate it and powder it. Mix it with honey and apply on affected area. Increase your intake of iron and vitamin-B rich foods such as bananas, potatoes, liver oil, turkey, tuna, greens, spinach parsley, and nutritional yeast. Try to avoid alcohol, tobacco, and hot and spicy foods which might aggravate the condition. For temporary relief you can suck a piece of ice or chew sugar free gums. You may try milk with honey as it aids the healing process by increasing blood flow to the affected area.
For white tongue you can wash the tongue with baking soda dissolved in warm water. An anti bacterial mouth wash will also help. Drink at least one liter of water every day. You can spread common salt on your tongue, keep it for as long as possible, and then rinse your mouth. Mix 1/8th tsp of cayenne pepper in warm water and put it on your tongue for as long as you can bear. It will also cure your cold. If the coating persists for a longer period, you may have to seek medical assistance.
