Did you know some people’s tongues get fuzzy? Yes, with hair on it? That’s what is called a black hairy tongue. It is an uncommon and harmless condition that has a striking appearance. Just imagine sticking out your tongue and you notice this unusual fuzziness on your tongue, of all places! That can be alarming. Some people think that black hairy tongue signals a severe illness or infection, I mean, who wouldn’t think that, given the appearance. But in most cases, it happens as a result of temporary changes in the tongue’s surface.
Formation of Black Hairy Tongue
The tongue is typically made of little bumps known as papillae. These papillae are short and wear down when you eat or brush your tongue. In the case of a black hairy tongue, these papillae grow too long. If they don’t shed like they’re supposed to, they get longer and start trapping stuff like food, bacteria, and dead skin cells.
Over time, all this dirt from foods you’ve eaten stains the tongue, making it look black, brown, or even green; which are the usual colors that represent a black hairy tongue. The hairy or fuzzy look on the tongue, is just the long papillae clumping together.
Symptoms of Black Hairy Tongue
A black hairy tongue usually affects the way the tongue looks, feels, and even tastes.
- For looks, it causes the tongue to have dark patches (black, brown, or green)
- For feels, it causes the tongue to feel furry or hairy
- For taste or smell, it causes the tongue to have a gross metallic taste or even bad breath
Poor oral hygiene: When you don’t brush your tongue regularly while brushing your teeth, dead skin cells and food particles stick around on your tongue. These leftovers make the papillae grow longer, because they aren’t being scrapped away like they normally would.
Excessive use of mouthwash: Mouthwash is supposed to kill bad bacteria, but if you overuse it, it can also kill the good bacteria in your mouth, which causes an imbalance. It has good bacteria to keep things balanced. Other stuff like fungi or certain bad bacteria can seep into the mouth and cause build-up on the tongue. This build-up can stain the already long tongue, making your tongue look dark and hairy.
Smoking and tobacco use: Smoking or chewing tobacco leaves a sticky residue on the tongue. The chemicals in tobacco stains the papillae, especially as they grow longer. Smoking also dries out the mouth, which slows down the natural cleaning process that saliva does. Making it easier for food particles and bacteria to build up on the tongue surface.
Certain medications: Some antibiotics or medicines that dry out the mouth affect the tongue’s natural shedding process. When the papillae aren’t shedding properly, they begin to grow longer and trap all kinds of things like leftover food or bacteria. This traps stuff on the surface of the tongue, causing the tongue to get darker over time.
Medical conditions: There are a couple of conditions like dry mouth or infection, that affect how the tongue naturally cleanses itself. When there is less saliva in the mouth, there is more chance for dead skin cells and bacteria to pile up. Some diseases can directly affect how the papillae grow, which causes it to be long, dark, and hairy.
Summary
Black hairy tongue is a weird, even freaky, but usually short-lived condition caused by the papillae, which are tiny bumps on your tongue, growing too long and trapping food particles, bacteria, and dead skin, making your tongue appear dark and hairy. Smoking, not brushing your tongue, excessive mouthwash use, certain medications, and health conditions can affect your tongue’s natural cleaning process.
