The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Salt
Posted by FRED (MISSISSAUGA, ONT, CANADA) on 04/30/2008
★★★★★
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!
Salt
Posted by Maria (Las Vegas, Nevada) on 04/23/2008
★★★★★
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
Pineapple
Posted by Jen (Nashville, TN) on 11/11/2008
Hi, I was just reading your remedies for a white coating on the tongue and I don't know what you mean by "oil pulling". Could someone please explain this process?? Thanks for your help!
Pineapple
Posted by Juan de la Cruz (Manila, Philippines) on 02/23/2009
★★★☆☆WORKED TEMPORARILY
Yes, eating pineapple worked for me, but it has to be raw (sour). In that case, I would put a little salt in it to taste. But this is just a temporary solution because the white coating usually returns the next day or two.
I always use a tongue cleaner, then brush my tongue with ALOE VERA toothpaste which is sold by Forever Living (5 US dollars, approximately). Then, I discovered a cheaper ALOE VERA toothpaste with almost the same quality (1 US dollar). I also had a coworker with slight bad breath and I gave him the cheaper ALOE VERA toothpaste. I noticed that every time he uses that, his bad breath is gone. But every time he used an ordinary toothpaste of whatever brand, his bad breath returns.
Pineapple
Posted by Karen (Randolph, New Jersey) on 02/23/2009
I also had this problem, white tongue, which I presume is thrush (yeast infection). I got rid of it by brushing and flossing twice a day with baking soda, followed by hydrogen peroxide rinse.
I also stopped eating sugar completely, and drank a glass of buttermilk every day. This took about two weeks to a month to work,(don't quite remember, it was years ago); you have to be persistent. If I even took one bit of something sugary or sweet, it would come right back.
Pau d'arco tea works well if you drink it once a day. [You have to boil the tea, not just steep it in hot water. ]
good luck
Salt
Posted by BigS (Darlington, England) on 02/05/2008
★★★★★
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
Salt
Posted by Miss.U (London, England) on 12/30/2007
★★★★★
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!
Salt
Posted by Ashley (Concord, NC) on 07/08/2008
★★★★★
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.
Oil Pulling
Posted by Sara (Carson City, NV) on 11/26/2007
★★★★★
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
Oil Pulling
Posted by Daniel (Chicago, Illinois) on 05/23/2008
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
Oil Pulling
Posted by Sara (Carson City, NV) on 11/06/2008
high quality sesame oil (not toasted)
Oil Pulling
Posted by Andrew (Wilmington, USA) on 05/05/2009
★★★★★
I just tried using the sesame seed oil...20 minutes seemed awfully long, but it seems to have worked. The only downside was holding it in for 20 minutes, and preventing myself from throwing up. The texture and taste was...well, not good.
Oil Pulling
Posted by 2much (San Francisco, California, Usa) on 11/13/2009
Hello, I was reading the comments on Oil Pulling and I am interested in trying it. But what is it? and How do I try it? Thanks is advance.
Listerine
Posted by Rich (Scranton, PA) on 11/10/2007
★★★★★
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.
Listerine
Posted by Jini (Toronto, Canada) on 09/06/2008
★☆☆☆☆
It didn't work for me.
Listerine
Posted by Jay (Los Angeles, Ca Usa) on 12/11/2009
★☆☆☆☆
I have been using it for about two months and no improvement yet.
Listerine
Posted by Rick (Eugene, Or) on 04/27/2012
I can't use listerine or any alcohol-based mouthwash. Makes my situation worse. It dries out my mouth and so encourages the anearobic bacteria which hide out in a pocket behind a wisdom tooth ( I now keep it clean with a rubber-tipped thingy dipped in hydrogen peroxide). I thought I was doing good but not so. Please do not recommend Listerine.
Listerine
Posted by Steiconi (Hilo, Hawaii) on 07/28/2012
★☆☆☆☆
Hah! I use Listerine every day, and still got a white coating. It's most likely thrush, caused by chemo. Yea side effects!
Water
Posted by John (El Paso, TX) on 04/23/2009
I'm going to try the sea-salt, but something else I've read on the internet is that it may be related to a candida fungus yeast infection, that apparently ____ is really good for (you can google it to find out where you can get it). The SEA-Salt may work temporarily (meaning you have to continue to do it every day -- or multiple times a day to fight off the symtoms) but we may have to fight it at the source.
Water
Posted by Ed (Belle Plaine, Minnesota) on 09/26/2009
Read with great interest the easiest answer for tongue coatings. I have had the problem for 6 months now. Finally, at my annual physical my doctor told me that it might be a fungus, and gave me a prescription. Have taken it for 8 days now, with maybe a slight improvement. Will be trying the sea salt method tomorrow so hopefully that does the trick.
Water
Posted by Kathy (Dubois, Pa) on 09/27/2009
Have you checked your Blood Glucose levels? All kinds of nasty beasties thrive when your BG levels are too high...and "too high" means anything over 120ml/dl 1hr after a meal.
p.s. Organ damage starts at anything over 140mg/dl
Glycerin
Posted by Marina (Bronx, NY) on 05/25/2006
★★★★★
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!
Glycerin
Posted by Brian (Vancouver, BC Canada) on 01/08/2009
Glycerin (oral health): Glycerin, including the drugstore USP type, is very effective in killing mouth bacteria and dissolving stains. It is an approved food additive, present in large quantities in ice cream, etc.
It works by hygroscopic action: it instantly pulls the water out of bacteria. Sip, swish, especially on the back of the tongue, and swallow for instant sweet breath. It is also a sweetener (60% sweetness rating); actually 3-carbon alcohol, with more uses than virtually any other chemical on Earth. (1500+ at last count).
Doubles healing speed, halves scarring.
Glycerin
Posted by Zarina (Lusaka, Zambia) on 02/18/2009
Is this the usual glycerine that we use on the body??
Glycerin
Posted by Kellyd (Seattle, Wa) on 09/23/2014
★★★★☆
A coated tongue reflects what's going on in the digestive tract -- either poor digestion (for example, poor digestion of fats), or a bacterial or fungal infection. Glycerin may be 'cleaning' the tongue coating, but is it really doing anything to correct the cause of the problem? My guess is if one stops with the glycerin, and the tongue coating comes back, then the answer is "no". ???
Oil Pulling
Posted by Jen (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
★★★☆☆BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS
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.
Oil Pulling
Posted by chris (shreveport, la/usa) on 06/21/2009
it sounds like you are having a healing crisis. which means your body is detoxing. congrats!
Oil Pulling
Posted by Sophia (Hoffman Estates, Illinois) on 06/09/2011
I'm not trying to be rude but your cold sore sounds coincidental to your tongue issue. Due to your symptoms of sluggishness, headache, and feeling lousy, along with the cold sore, it unfortunately sounds like herpes type 1. You should see a doctor.
Oil Pulling
Posted by Maximac (Trussville, Alabama, USA) on 01/28/2013
Sounds like you're having die off effects of probable candida overgrowth. I've experienced that as well. We'll say "good riddance!"
Oil Pulling
Posted by Rhonda (Austin) on 04/12/2018
How did you fare in the long run with the oil pulling? Did the side effects subside?
