Reading Between the Taste Buds What Your Tongue Says About Your Oral Health
Your tongue plays a significant role in your oral health. It’s not just a muscle that helps you taste and swallow food — it also serves as a diagnostic tool for various aspects of your health and well- being. By examining your tongue, you can gain insights into your oral hygiene, overall health, and even detect potential issues. Let’s look at what your tongue says about your oral health! White Coating A white coating on your tongue might indicate a buildup of bacteria, dead cells, or food particles. It’s often associated with poor oral hygiene and can lead to bad breath. Regular tongue cleaning can help alleviate this issue. Redness and Inflammation If your tongue appears redder than usual, it could indicate inflammation, irritation, or vitamin deficiencies. This change may also
result from “burning mouth syndrome.” If this condition persists, we recommend scheduling an appointment with a dentist. Bumps and Sores Bumps, sores, or ulcers on your tongue can indicate canker sores, cold sores, or infections. These may resolve on their own or require treatment, depending on the cause. Geographic Tongue A tongue with irregular, smooth, red patches surrounded by white borders can signal a condition known as geographic tongue. While it’s usually harmless, it can cause discomfort, especially when consuming spicy or acidic foods. Yellow Coated Tongue A coated tongue with a yellowish hue may indicate excessive bacteria growth, poor oral
hygiene, or a fungal infection such as oral thrush. Maintaining good oral hygiene practices and, in some cases, antifungal treatments can address this concern. Be sure to consult with us first! Black and Hairy Tongue A black and hairy appearance on the surface of your tongue can result from overgrown papillae (small projections on the tongue’s surface). Smoking, certain foods, or poor oral hygiene are often the culprits. Improving oral care and lifestyle habits can resolve this issue. Your tongue is a valuable indicator of your oral and overall health. If the next time you check out your tongue in the mirror, you spot some concerns, don’t wait! Call our office, and we will help address your concerns!
SAY GOODBYE TO CHRONIC CLUTTER — Use the CORE 4 Method to Transform Your Home!
If you’ve attempted Marie Kondo’s famous “spark joy” approach to decluttering but still have too much stuff, you might want to try the CORE 4 Method designed by professional organizer Kayleen Kelly. Kelly specializes in tackling “chronic clutter” and designs her techniques to work for everyone , including people who are neurodivergent. Her CORE 4 Method has earned her millions of online fans because it includes just four steps anyone can follow to purge clutter! Here’s how it works. Step 1: Clear Out — First, choose one room of your home to work on. Then, grab a trash bag and several sturdy boxes. Use the bag to collect trash like food wrappers or broken items you never got around to repairing. Then, look for things that belong in other rooms of your home and toss them into the boxes, using a different box for each room. If you’re working in your office, for example, move extra sweaters to your bedroom box and the spare hammer to your garage box. Then, put the boxes in their corresponding rooms to deal with later. Step 2: Categorize — Sort everything left in your room into categories. In your bedroom, you might have one pile for clothes, one for shoes, and another for hobby items. Step 3: Cut Out — Assess the storage in your room and use that space to calculate how many items you can keep from each category. For example, if you have a category of books, figure
out how many will fit on your bookshelf. That’s how many books you can keep!
Then, choose a category and go through it item by item. Kelly recommends using the “3 Second Rule”: Give yourself three seconds to decide if each item is a “Yes’’ or a “No,” and consider anything you hesitate on a “Yes.” Repeat this cycle until you have the right number of items in each category. Step 4: Contain — Stash each category of items in its designated storage space. Kelly suggests keeping “like” items together and ensuring your regularly used things are easy to access. These four steps can help you tackle even the most cluttered spaces. With help from a few friends, you can organize an entire room in a single day!
Kelly with Mia, during her first dental visit
2 • Newman Springs Dental Care • BestLincroftDentist.com • Call Us! 732-978-4522
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