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What do doctors look for when they check your mouth?
Say ahhhh! Your mouth tells a story, too. Like the back of your throat—it looks one way when you’re healthy, another way if you have a bacterial infection such as strep throat, and yet another when there’s a viral infection like hand, foot and mouth disease. Your tongue gives clues as to how well hydrated you are.
Why does a doctor look in your mouth?
A mouth can say a lot about your health without even speaking. Doctors know this, so looking into your mouth with a tongue depressor and a flashlight or head lamp is typical during physical examination. Your throat and the back of your mouth can suggest how healthy your teeth are too.
What your tongue reveals about your health?
A pink tongue is healthy and normal. A red tongue may indicate heat in the body like a fever or a hormonal imbalance. A reddish purple tongue is a sign that there may be inflammation or an infection in the body. A pale pink tongue may be a sign of a vitamin deficiency, a weak immune system or a lack of energy.
Why do doctors ask to see your tongue?
Physicians often ask their patients to “Please stick out your tongue.” The tongue can betray signs of illness, which combined with other symptoms such as a cough, fever, presence of jaundice, headache or bowel habits, can help the physician offer a diagnosis.
Why does a doctor push on your stomach?
Pressing on your stomach is a way to find out if the size of your internal organs is normal, to check if anything hurts, and to feel if anything unusual is going on. Looking, listening, and feeling are all part of a physical exam.
What are the four main functions of the tongue?
The tongue is vital for chewing and swallowing food, as well as for speech. The four common tastes are sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. A fifth taste, called umami, results from tasting glutamate (present in MSG). The tongue has many nerves that help detect and transmit taste signals to the brain.
What are doctors looking for when they ask you to stick out your tongue?
He or she will then look at and feel the insides of your lips and cheeks to check for possible signs of cancer, or pre-cancerous tissue changes, such as red and/or white patches, or thickened areas. Your provider will have you stick out your tongue so it can be checked for swelling or abnormal color or texture.
When should you see a doctor or dentist about your tongue?
Family physician Daniel Allan, MD, discusses why you should watch for changes that might need to be evaluated by a doctor or dentist. If your tongue has a white coating or white spots. A white tongue, or white spots on your tongue, could be an indication of: Oral thrush: a yeast infection that develops inside the mouth.
What can your tongue tell you about your health?
What your tongue can tell you about your health. A healthy tongue has a warm, pinkish color, and anything different might indicate an underlying health condition. Ryan Kauffman, M.D., an ear, nose and throat specialist at Piedmont, says most physicians go through a checklist when they inspect a patient’s tongue.
How often should you check your tongue for tongue cancer?
Dr. Allan says everyone should check their tongue on a daily basis when they brush their teeth and tongue. “Any discoloration, lumps, sores or pain should be monitored and evaluated by a medical professional if they don’t go away within two weeks,” he says.
What does it mean when your tongue turns white with cancer?
Anything that lasts beyond two to four weeks and continues to get worse could be a sign of oral cancer and should be checked out by your doctor immediately. When the tongue looks white and pasty, it may be a sign of infection on the tongue, such as a bacterial infection or an autoimmune-related inflammatory disease.