3 Spots
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Having a tongue with white and pink spots (often called ‘geographic tongue’) isn’t a thing to worry about, because many people have it and it is natural. There are areas on your tongue where some taste buds have been worn down. There's no treatment for it, and it's actually pretty common. Some medical research has shown an association between geographic tongue and celiac disease, a condition in which the body's immune system attacks the small intestine when it ingests gluten—a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley.
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4 White Patches
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White tongue isn’t a ‘red alert’ for your health, and in fact may be bad hygiene of your mouth (nothing that a good tooth brush or tongue cleaner won’t help). But, if it lingers, it might be an overgrowth of candida (yeast or thrush). You're at a higher risk of developing this condition if you're on antibiotics, have diabetes, are on chemotherapy, inhale steroids to treat asthma, or have a compromised immune system. Candida is usually very treatable with an anti-fungal swish-and-spit liquid or pill. White patches could also be a sign of leukoplakia, which is often caused by tobacco or chronic alcohol use. Oral cancer can sometimes develop on or near these patches.
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