Anonymous

3 years

My tongue is black. It has happened a few times. It keeps getting better and then it will turn black again

I’m female and in my late 20s. Lately I noticed that my tongue is black. It happened a few times in the past 3 months.

First time it happened, I started to gargle my mouth with salt water after every meal. Then it healed within a week and it was fine.

Second time it happened, I also started to do the same thing and it also healed within a week.

Now it has happened again. Is this problematic? Or is this an indicator of deeper issues?
Thanks

Greetings! Thank you for your questions.

First and foremost, we truly understand your concerns regarding your symptoms and other health problems you might be facing. From your complaints, black tongue is usually a harmless condition that can be caused by medications, poor oral hygiene, smoking, soft diet, or dry mouth. A black tongue is usually associated with elongated tongue papillae and hence, it is called “black hairy tongue”. The cause is thought to be a change in the normal bacteria in the mouth after using products that contain bismuth or antibiotic treatment.

However, the following answers regarding your current queries are just general descriptions. We need further detail for a complete explanation. Therefore, we greatly suggest that you refer this to your nearest medical doctor for full examination. You may also click on this link (DoctorOnCall) to speak with our doctors online. We assure you that our conversations are kept in confidentiality unless additional consultation needed with other medical parties. Thank you.

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