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Hello, I'm A 68 Yr. Old Female And Diagnosed With
Question: Hello,
I'm a 68 yr. old female and diagnosed with hairy tongue. Had this condition for over a year. Food tastes terrible (rotten) and can't seem to find anything that will help. I've seen 3 different ENT's, a dental pathologist, & had a biopsy (negative for cancer) . These doctors are out of solutions. I drink very little caffeine (2 cups of coffee XXXXXXX per day and no soft drinks or tea) I brush my teeth after any food and scrape/brush my tongue once per day. Any ideas for stubborn hairy tongue.
Thank you for any advice you may have.
Cathey
I'm a 68 yr. old female and diagnosed with hairy tongue. Had this condition for over a year. Food tastes terrible (rotten) and can't seem to find anything that will help. I've seen 3 different ENT's, a dental pathologist, & had a biopsy (negative for cancer) . These doctors are out of solutions. I drink very little caffeine (2 cups of coffee XXXXXXX per day and no soft drinks or tea) I brush my teeth after any food and scrape/brush my tongue once per day. Any ideas for stubborn hairy tongue.
Thank you for any advice you may have.
Cathey
Brief Answer:
Details as discussed below:
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thank you for your query.
1. This is a self limiting conditions and there are many such appearances of the tongue that look disturbing but require no active management.
2. Vigorous and regular scraping of the tongue will make it stubborn and may increase the hairy tongue. Be gentle with the tongue scraper and avoid daily use of the tongue scraper and mouth rinses/gargles/ teeth whitening lotions.
3. I usually advise bacterial culture from tongue swabs. Candid mouth paint helps in many patients. Avoid dehydration, acid reflux. Check if snoring or mouth breathing at night is an issue. Avoid overuse of antibiotics, oral rinses, gargles, tongue scraping.
4. When the delicate inner linings of the body (mucosa) are damaged or face irritation repeatedly, these linings change to resemble exterior skin. This along with the action of saliva and accumulation of dead cells, colonisation by micro-organisms causes this appearance.
5. I have gone through your reports in detail and a lot of diagnostic ground has been already covered. This a confirmed benign, self limiting condition of the tongue.
6. Now, the less you do, the faster you will recover.
I hope that I have answered your query. If you have any further questions, I will be available to answer them.
Regards.
Details as discussed below:
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thank you for your query.
1. This is a self limiting conditions and there are many such appearances of the tongue that look disturbing but require no active management.
2. Vigorous and regular scraping of the tongue will make it stubborn and may increase the hairy tongue. Be gentle with the tongue scraper and avoid daily use of the tongue scraper and mouth rinses/gargles/ teeth whitening lotions.
3. I usually advise bacterial culture from tongue swabs. Candid mouth paint helps in many patients. Avoid dehydration, acid reflux. Check if snoring or mouth breathing at night is an issue. Avoid overuse of antibiotics, oral rinses, gargles, tongue scraping.
4. When the delicate inner linings of the body (mucosa) are damaged or face irritation repeatedly, these linings change to resemble exterior skin. This along with the action of saliva and accumulation of dead cells, colonisation by micro-organisms causes this appearance.
5. I have gone through your reports in detail and a lot of diagnostic ground has been already covered. This a confirmed benign, self limiting condition of the tongue.
6. Now, the less you do, the faster you will recover.
I hope that I have answered your query. If you have any further questions, I will be available to answer them.
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Yogesh D
Hello and thank you for your response. I have XXXXXXX diagnosed with stage-2 kidney disease(failure). Could that condition be related to the hairy tongue? I%E2%80%99ve been advised by my GP to be diligent about drinking plenty of fluids, which i have been trying to do. i use a chin strap at night to prevent mouth breathing and have been more gentle with scraping/brushing my tongue. The worst part of this is taste. Food most often tastes terrible. Most times the taste will be overly bitter. It%E2%80%99s to the point i dread mealtimes. Any suggestions on the taste?
Thank you,
Thank you,
Brief Answer:
Details as discussed below:
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thank you for your query.
1. Stage 2 Kidney disease can be connected to oral symptoms only if the urea levels are high.
2. Taste disturbances are also seen in increased blood urea levels.
3. If you have a recent blood urea and a serum creatinine test, kindly upload the results.
4. Otherwise, if the above mentioned kidney function tests are within normal limits, a direct association is unlikely.
I hope that I have answered your query. If you have any further questions, I will be available to answer them.
Regards.
Details as discussed below:
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thank you for your query.
1. Stage 2 Kidney disease can be connected to oral symptoms only if the urea levels are high.
2. Taste disturbances are also seen in increased blood urea levels.
3. If you have a recent blood urea and a serum creatinine test, kindly upload the results.
4. Otherwise, if the above mentioned kidney function tests are within normal limits, a direct association is unlikely.
I hope that I have answered your query. If you have any further questions, I will be available to answer them.
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
Thank you for your response.
I am uploading my latest cmp test results. The creatinine level is elevated but urea seems in the middle. Could this elevated creatinine level be part of the taste problem? I understand this condition may seem trivial as it is benign, but the emotional side of a constant bitter/rotten taste is sometimes quite overwhelming.
Thank you again for your assistance. Your responses have been very informative and easy to understand.
I am uploading my latest cmp test results. The creatinine level is elevated but urea seems in the middle. Could this elevated creatinine level be part of the taste problem? I understand this condition may seem trivial as it is benign, but the emotional side of a constant bitter/rotten taste is sometimes quite overwhelming.
Thank you again for your assistance. Your responses have been very informative and easy to understand.
Brief Answer:
Details as discussed below:
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thank you for following up.
1. Yes, the urea level is within normal limits and the creatinine level is elevated.
2. However the Urea / Creatinine ratio is well within normal limits.
3. The elevated creatinine will not affect the taste sensation.
4. Yes, the loss of flavour and the constant bitter sensation is a problem as that area of the tongue subserves mainly the bitter taste sensation.
5. This distress will definitely reduce with the above mentioned precautions.
I hope that I have answered your query. If you have any further questions, I will be available to answer them.
Regards.
Details as discussed below:
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thank you for following up.
1. Yes, the urea level is within normal limits and the creatinine level is elevated.
2. However the Urea / Creatinine ratio is well within normal limits.
3. The elevated creatinine will not affect the taste sensation.
4. Yes, the loss of flavour and the constant bitter sensation is a problem as that area of the tongue subserves mainly the bitter taste sensation.
5. This distress will definitely reduce with the above mentioned precautions.
I hope that I have answered your query. If you have any further questions, I will be available to answer them.
Regards.
Note: Consult an experienced Otolaryngologist / ENT Specialist online for further follow up on ear, nose, and throat issues - Book a Call now.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
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