5 Causes of black tongue

Healthy tongue is usually pink and covered with small spots (papillae) in white. If the color turns blackish, it can be a sign of a health problem. Here are some causes of black tongue that may happen to you.
Various causes of black tongue

Your tongue is equipped with a small lump called a papilla. This papila serves as a stimulus receiver so it helps you detect flavors.

However, dead skin cells can accumulate on the tip of the papilla, making it appear long. Papilla that looks elongated at times can change color due to bacteria and exposure to certain substances.

If you mirror and find a black tongue, this may occur as a result of various causes, including:

1. Use of antibiotics
Antibiotics are tasked to kill bacteria. Unfortunately, these drugs not only kill bad bacteria, but also sometimes good bacteria.

Consequently, the balance of bacteria in the mouth will be disrupted and allow certain yeast or bacteria to evolve and change the color of the tongue.

2. Coffee and smoking habits
Smoking and drinking coffee not only changes the color of the teeth, but it can also be a black tongue cause. The chemicals present in tobacco can alter the color of the papillae in white. Likewise with coffee and tea.

Usually, the tongue will not be dark black, but tanned. This may happen if you drink coffee, tea, and smoking too often.

3. Using mouthwash

Using mouthwash aims to keep your mouth and teeth clean. However, an improper choice of mouthwash can be a cause of black tongue.

One of the mouthwash that can cause your tongue to be darker is that it contains oxidizing substances, such as peroxide.

This substance can affect the balance of bacteria in the mouth. Give a slit to the fungus in the mouth to multiply and change the color of the tongue so blackish.

4. Drinking Pepto-Bismol
Pepto-Bismol is a cure for diarrhea that is easily found in stores or pharmacies. Although it is potent to treat diarrhea, sulfur content in the drug can change the color of papillae so black.

5. Dry mouth
In addition to the habit or exposure to certain substances, dry mouth conditions can also cause black tongue.

Dry mouth is less moisture content. In fact, saliva is useful for maintaining bacterial balance and helps to cleanse dead skin cells on the tongue.

Lack of saliva can certainly cause the buildup of dead skin cells and increased bacterial growth. As a result, the bacteria will make the papillae look black.

Dry-mouth conditions can be caused by the use of certain medications and lack of fluid intake, such as infrequent drinking water, not eating-food in a gravy, or not eating vegetables and fruit.
Don't worry, black tongue can be solved

The color of the changing tongue definitely makes you worried. However, generally this condition is not a sign of a serious problem.

"Fortunately, this condition is not common and usually not serious. This is most likely to happen to people who do not maintain good oral and dental hygiene.

To overcome the black tongue, you must know the underlying cause. Some of the following treatments may help you to restore the tongue color back to normal, namely:

• Diligently clean the teeth while brushing the tongue. Rub the tongue gently 2 times a day to remove dead skin cells and bacteria from the tongue.
• After eating and drinking coffee or tea, preferably immediately mouthwash with water and scrub your tongue with a brush. The goal is to prevent food scraps and dyes from damaging the tooth color and changing the color of the papilla.
• Drink enough water. To make your mouth dry, be sure to drink plenty of water and eat fruit and vegetables. In addition, you can chew sugar-free gum to stimulate more saliva production.

The final step is routine dental and oral health checks to the dentist.

Check to the dentist also helps you to find the right cause of the black tongue as well as allow you to get medication that does not give side effects of black tongue