Take Care of Your Tongue

The tongue has many more important functions other than just churning up the food in your mouth. It’s also an important component regarding complete oral health. While most people don’t associate tongues with cancer, the disease can indeed affect it.

That’s why at the office of Vidya Reddy, DMD, our dental experts pay close attention to your tongue to ensure that it’s healthy. Of course, we also take superior care of your teeth and gums.

The most noticeable type of tongue cancer begins in the thin, flat squamous cells that line the tongue’s surface, where it may be more likely to be seen and felt. This type of tongue cancer tends to be diagnosed when the cancer is small and more easily removed through surgery.

But let’s put the topic of tongue cancer aside and focus on some interesting facts about this incredibly flexible and powerful muscle. When you're done chewing a mouthful of food into particles, the tongue and saliva help turn the particles into masses known as bolus. The tongue then pushes the bolus into the esophagus, which is a tube that ends in the stomach.

If you're one of those folks who live to eat instead of eat to live, know this: The tongue's taste buds let you sample five taste components, which are sweet, sour, salty, bitter and savory. Rather than each components’ buds being placed in just one section, the buds are scattered throughout the tongue's surface, with each taste being sensed equally well everywhere.

After you brush your teeth but before you rinse and spit, use your toothbrush to gently clean your tongue's peaks and valleys. That's where bacteria lurk and prosper.

At the office of Vidya Reddy, DMD, our compassionate and highly educated staff of professionals enthusiastically provide our patients with personal and superior care in all aspects of your oral health. Whatever your needs, call us today to schedule an appointment!

By Vidya Reddy, DMD

April 1, 2020