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Cure A White Coating on the Tongue

Updated: 08/18/2008

Best Home Remedies to Cure a White Coating on the Tongue

There are several possibilities for what causes a white coating on the tongue, or THRUSH. The most common cause of a white coating is a candidal infection, which is caused by fungus. Thrush can also be caused by antibiotics or steroids that were inhaled for sinus or asthma issues. A white coating can also simply be the buildup of dead cells on the tongue. Finally, a white coating on the tongue may be caused by dehydration! If you aren't drinking enough water, it's possible that little pieces of food are sticking to your tongue! Simply drinking more water will remedy this condition so we suggest you try this first for a week or two and see if it makes a difference.

MOST POPULAR TONGUE REMEDIES:

REMEDY NAME	# of YEAS
OIL PULLING	3
SALT	4

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR AND BAKING SODA

1 WORKED TEMPORARILY   

[WORKED TEMPORARILY]  08/18/2008: Liza from Manila, Philippines writes: "I have been using Apple Cider Vinegar plus Baking Soda for 2 weeks now for my LPR [Laryngopharyngeal Reflux]. I noticed that the 'mucus' on my throat is gone but i have white tongue. How will I get rid of this? And I still have halitosis. I need some help. Thanks."

EC: Please check for remedies on the following pages:
http://www.earthclinic.com/CURES/tongue.html
http://www.earthclinic.com/CURES/breath.html

CHARCOAL

1 YEA   

[YEA]  05/09/2006: DS from NYC writes: "A great remedy I just discovered by accident to take away the white coating on your tongue is powdered charcoal. I was taking this at night to cleanse my digestive system and discovered the next morning that my tongue had no coating on it! Amazing!"

GLYCERIN

1 YEA   

[YEA]  05/25/2006: Marina from Bronx, NY writes: "I wanted something natural to whiten my teeth and take the white film off my tongue. A co-worker of mine told me to try glycerine to replace it for toothpaste when i wanted a whiter smile and clean tongue so i tried it and to my surprise the stains on my teeth were gone they were gleaming and my tongue was so pink and healthy. and i loyally use it every now and then when my teeth are looking dull and brush my tongue with it daily!"

EC: You can buy vegetable glycerin online and in certain health food stores. We found ours in the vitamin section at Whole Foods. Drugstores also carry glycerin, but we're not so sure you should put this in your mouth... Check the skin lotion aisle at your local drugstore.

HYDROGEN PEROXIDE

1 YEA   

[YEA]  06/10/2008: Matt from Magna, Utah writes: "re: white tongue. I am surprised no one has proposed using hydrogen peroxide to remove a tongue coating. Flush several times for between 30 and 60 minutes with approx. 2 or 3 percent hydrogen peroxide.. worked for me"

LISTERINE

1 YEA   

[YEA]  11/10/2007: Rich from Scranton, PA writes: "Listerine mouthwash (antiseptic) really helps clean up your tongue. Just slowly swish it in your mouth and continue even if it burns. After the burn is unbearable or stops, then spit it in the sink. After three rinses my tongue was less white."

OIL PULLING

3 YEA   

[YEA]  03/02/2008: John from Richmond, VA writes: "Pineapple helped to get rid of my white tongue. I'm not sure why, I think it has an enzyme or chemical in it that causes the tongue coating to dissolve. Eat at least a couple of bites once or twice a day. This helps, but is not enough alone. The proper oral routine is necessary too. I found that brushing twice a day with a sls-free toothpaste allowed my tongue to shed normally and remain pink and healthy, which wouldn't happen with regular toothpaste. And don't use mouthwash or brush or scrape your tongue. Oil pulling once a day will help as well."

[YEA]  11/26/2007: Sara from Carson City, NV writes: "I have had a coated tongue for quite some time now. I tried oil pulling two nights ago swishing the oil in my mouth for 20 minutes. After I spit and brushed my teeth my tongue was bright pink. I couldn't believe it! Thank You"

05/23/2008: Daniel from Chicago, Illinois replies: "Just wanted to ask what oil you used for the oil pulling to the person who said that it got rid of his/her white tongue"

[YEA]  jenmal@gmail.com from Minneapolis, Minnesota writes: "I found this site because I was searching for a rememdy for the whiteness on my tounge. I struggled with the idea of OP for about a week and decided to do it. The first time I did it I did it for 20 minutes, but immediatly noticed my tounge was nice and pink again. The second day and beyond(now on my 5th day), i got a cold sore which I get very infrequently,and I also would get weird headaches too, so I hope it is s good sign. It is one of the worst cold sores I have ever had BTW, and I also felt real sick for a little while and sluggish.It almost feels like things are trying to leave my body. I am going to keep it up and see what develops, and will post my results later."

PEPPERMINT OIL

1 YEA   

[YEA]  05/12/2008: Angie from Sparta, Missouri writes: "re: Recurring sore on gums and white tongue... For 2-3 years I have had a recurring sore on my gum that would not go away and plus a lot of white build up on my tongue. towards the end of last year I started using 1 drop of certified organic peppermint oil on my toothbrush that I bought from ebay 1-2 times a day. since then my tongue is pink, no more white buildup and the sore is almost gone. I hope this helps someone out. I really believe the key is using organic peppermint oil."

SALT

6 YEA    2 NAY   

[NAY]  07/24/2008: Rick from West Valley, Utah writes: "Didn't work for me. Tried brushing with salt and rinsing gargling with salt water. No effect."

[YEA]  07/17/2008: Mike from Virginia Beach, VA writes: "Thank you so much! my tongue was so white it made me sick to look at it. After just one use of salt on my tooth brush my tongue was pink and healthy. I'm now proud to show off my tongue ring lol."

[NAY]  05/20/2008: Amanda (DemonNeko1@Yahoo.com) from Northfield, Ohio writes: "White Tongue Remedies: I just wanted you to know I tried the salt water thing. The white on my tongue did not come off. I am going to try the listerine next and I will let you know if that does not work.

P.S. Brushing your tongue is usually not a good idea. You should check with your doctor first to find out if it is serious or not. Brushing your tongue with a serious tongue condition can pretty much make it worse or ruin your tongue for life."

[YEA]  04/30/2008: FRED from MISSISSAUGA, ONT, CANADA writes: "I TRIED THE BRUSHING WITH SALTED WATER AND SALT ON MY TOOTHBRUSH,AND PRESTO MY TONGUE TURNED PINK AGAIN! OF COURSE IT IS A LITTLE HARD TO REACH TO THE VERY BACK OF THE TONGUE WITHOUT GAGGING BUT THIS REMEDY DOES REALLY WORK!"

[YEA]  04/23/2008: Maria from Las Vegas, Nevada writes: "I had a white tounge and tried a number of remedies on this site. I had a difficult time using the oil as suggested as it caused a gagging reflex and ultimatily did not work.....then I tried salt. After just one brushing of the tounge with the salt, it was pink and clean. I am thrilled. Thanks for the suggestion"

[YEA]  02/05/2008: BigS from Darlington, England writes: "Using salt helps immediately. I was rather desperate to get rid of it however so I took the option of pouring about two teaspoons of salt into my mouth then brushed my tongue with that. To be honest I thought it wouldn't work but was stunned to see the difference. Thanks alot Miss.U"

[YEA]  12/30/2007: Miss.U from London, England writes: "Firstly, put 1 spoon of salt in a cup then add water, they dip your tooth brush into it and brush your tounge, it might sting but then the pain and white will go. Or with the saty water put it in your mouth and hold it for thirty seconds on your tongue then gargle for thirty seconds then spit it out this should help. or a very strange fast way is to hold salt on your tongue as long as possible but make sure all of it is spread on your tounge! Try these all they work!!!! Good Luck!"

[YEA]07/08/2008: Ashley from Concord, NC replies: "Brushing my tounge with salt on my brush worked immediately. Sad part is that I couldn't get to the back without gagging to the point of spitting up. Just gargling isn't helping."

WATER

1 YEA   

[YEA]  05/17/2007: Katie from Atlanta, Georgia writes: "I brush my teeth 7 times a day, by the way I never have cavities. This amount of brushing still never stops the film --- however, when i was drinking 3/4 gal of water a day (there was about 3 months of my life that I did this) the film totally disappeared! it's true."

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