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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Brown Discoloration On The Tongue Of An Infant?

5 month old breast fed and bottle fed expressed milk only. Has light brown coating on posterior aspect of tongue as of this afternoon. Mom started using mothers milk tea and fenugreek in hopes of boosting milk supply two days ago, could this be the cause? Baby has HX of three ear infections, completed 10 day course of augmentin 5 days ago.
Thu, 1 Dec 2016
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Dentist,  's  Response
Hi..
Welcome to HEALTHCARE MAGIC..

I have gone through your query and can understand your concerns..

As per your complain it seems that brown discolouration on the tongue of 5 month old is most commonly due to poor oral hygiene maintenance that leads to abundant deposits of food debris and also bacteria and fungal overgrowth over the tongue leading to formation of a dark coating over the tongue..
It is a condition called Black Hairy Tongue..

It is however harmless and can be gradually removed if proper oral hygiene and cleaning of tongue is done..

You should start cleaning her tongue using a soft toothbrush..
Give her solid foods to eat..
Use a tongue scraper to gently clean her tongue..
Feed with plenty of water..

Hope this information helps..

Thanks and regards.
Dr.Honey Nandwani Arora.
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What Causes Brown Discoloration On The Tongue Of An Infant?

Hi.. Welcome to HEALTHCARE MAGIC.. I have gone through your query and can understand your concerns.. As per your complain it seems that brown discolouration on the tongue of 5 month old is most commonly due to poor oral hygiene maintenance that leads to abundant deposits of food debris and also bacteria and fungal overgrowth over the tongue leading to formation of a dark coating over the tongue.. It is a condition called Black Hairy Tongue.. It is however harmless and can be gradually removed if proper oral hygiene and cleaning of tongue is done.. You should start cleaning her tongue using a soft toothbrush.. Give her solid foods to eat.. Use a tongue scraper to gently clean her tongue.. Feed with plenty of water.. Hope this information helps.. Thanks and regards. Dr.Honey Nandwani Arora.