# White stuff on my tongue **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 31, 2003, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-stuff-on-my-tongue/178819 "2003-05-31T19:48:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![teemingONE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@teemingONE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teemingONE)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-stuff-on-my-tongue/178819/1 "2003-05-31T19:48:46Z")
I noticed the other day that there is a lot of white stuff on my togue. From what I figured out, its bacteria that causes bad breath. But what I want to know is how do I get rid of it. Listerine works a little bit if i use it in the morning, but by the afternoon its back to being white. Same thing with happens when I brush my tongue. Is there anything I can eat or not eat to keep my tongue nice and red. ---
**Author:** ![sleeping](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@sleeping](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeping)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-stuff-on-my-tongue/178819/2 "2003-05-31T19:51:21Z")
Heh. Yeah, there’s something you can stop eating…😃 ---
**Author:** ![teemingONE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@teemingONE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teemingONE)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-stuff-on-my-tongue/178819/3 "2003-05-31T20:00:20Z")
should have expected that one… ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-stuff-on-my-tongue/178819/4 "2003-05-31T20:34:34Z")
I would see a doctor. It sounds like it might be oral thrush, which I don’t believe you can treat yourself. ---
**Author:** ![gypsymoth3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@gypsymoth3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gypsymoth3)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-stuff-on-my-tongue/178819/5 "2003-05-31T22:22:51Z")
hmm… that’s weird. just yesterday, my sister found something that looked like cream of wheat on the back of her tongue. she brushed it off, and it came back a little while later. she thought it might be the return of the strep throat she had a couple weeks ago, but she hasn’t had any symptoms yet. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-stuff-on-my-tongue/178819/6 "2003-05-31T22:33:07Z")
Normally there is a bit of ‘white stuff’ on the tongue, but if it looks like this: [http://www.kyent.com/oral\_photographs/geographic\_tongue.jpg](http://www.kyent.com/oral_photographs/geographic_tongue.jpg) then you might have geographic tongue, which is pretty much harmless and will go away on its own in a few weeks. Otherwise, use a tongue scraper after you brush your teeth. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-stuff-on-my-tongue/178819/7 "2003-05-31T23:12:43Z")
I second the tongue scraper. It’ll take off gunk that’s not supposed to be there. ---
**Author:** ![BeatenMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ab097/32.png) [@BeatenMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeatenMan)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-stuff-on-my-tongue/178819/8 "2003-05-31T23:37:47Z")
I have had geographic tounge. I thought it was because I had oral sex with a girl that was from china. Brush your tongue with arm and hammer tooth paste It keeps mine looking pink. ---
**Author:** ![Homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homer)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-stuff-on-my-tongue/178819/9 "2003-06-01T00:39:28Z")
I’ve always had a white coating, also. Brushing didn’t really help. So I bought a tongue scraper ($2.50) and off-brand Listerine ($2.50) and that $5 has pretty much eliminated the whiteness. I’d like to think my breath smells better now, too. Try it, can’t hurt. Tim ---
**Author:** ![gentle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eb8c5e/32.png) [@gentle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gentle)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-stuff-on-my-tongue/178819/10 "2003-06-01T04:36:16Z")
Interestingly, _geographic tongue_ is also closely linked to psoriasis ([http://www.drgreene.com/21\_784.html](http://www.drgreene.com/21_784.html)). ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-stuff-on-my-tongue/178819/11 "2003-06-01T05:00:10Z")
I do the tongue-scraper thing too. It’s not always fun, but I seem to get more of that gunk than most people - and even if I’m wrong, no harm done. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-stuff-on-my-tongue/178819/12 "2003-06-01T11:28:22Z")
Try eating a red popsicle. That always seemed to work when I was a kid. ---
**Author:** ![Eosine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/67e7ee/32.png) [@Eosine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eosine)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-stuff-on-my-tongue/178819/13 "2003-06-07T18:32:45Z")
Hi Cuckoorex, how’d the vacationing go? teemingONE, did you figure it out? ---
**Author:** ![Yersinia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/6bbea6/32.png) [@Yersinia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yersinia)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-stuff-on-my-tongue/178819/14 "2003-06-09T17:26:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by panache45 \* > \*\*I would see a doctor. It sounds like it might be oral thrush, which I don’t believe you can treat yourself. \*\* This is the reply I agree with, FWIW. If, **teemingOne** , you have one of those other things the other posters mentioned and were able to treat themselves, so much the better. But if you do have C. albicans (the yeast which causes thrush, as well as feminine yeast infections) living on your tongue, you’re going to need a doctor who can prescribe you an anti-fungal.