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How to Use Salt to Cure White Tongue
A tongue can become covered with a white coating 1. This usually indicates the presence of bacteria and dead cells. Along with the white tongue, you may notice that you have bad breath 1. Oftentimes this occurs as a result of smoking or excessive drinking. It can also occur if a person becomes dehydrated or comes down with a fever. You can get rid of white tongue by using table salt 1.
Mix one tsp. of salt with three oz. of warm water. Use this solution to gargle for 45 seconds. After the 45 seconds are up, spit the solution into the bathroom sink.
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Repeat step one two more times.
Measure half a tsp. of salt out and sprinkle it directly on your tongue. Brush the salt on your tongue with a toothbrush. The salt will not taste good but it will get rid of the white tongue 1. Rinse your mouth out with water.
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Repeat step 3 two more times.
Scrape your tongue with a tongue scraper.
Tips
After a case of white tongue, you will need to get a new toothbrush. Your old toothbrush will contain bacteria and using it will just cause the white tongue to come back.
Warnings
A white tongue may be a sign of a more serious illness such as cancer. If the white tongue doesn't go away after the salt treatment, seek advice from a physician.
Related Articles
References
- Mayo Clinic: White Tongue
- Kim AM, Keenan BT, Jackson N, et al. Tongue fat and its relationship to obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep. 2014;37(10):1639–1648. Published 2014 Oct 1. doi:10.5665/sleep.4072
- Bartlett JA, van der Voort Maarschalk K. Understanding the oral mucosal absorption and resulting clinical pharmacokinetics of asenapine. AAPS PharmSciTech. 2012;13(4):1110–1115. doi:10.1208/s12249-012-9839-7
- National Organization for Rare Diseases. Tongue Cancer.
- Dotiwala AK, Samra NS. Anatomy, head and neck, tongue. [Updated 2019 Feb 8]. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2019 Jan.
- Moore KL and AF Dalley. Clinically Oriented Anatomy. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 4th edition, 1999, pp. 940-947.
- Stone M, et al. Structure and variability in human tongue muscle anatomy. Comput Methods Biomech Biomed Eng Imaging Vis. 2018;6(5):499–507. Published online 2016 Apr 8. doi:10.1080/21681163.2016.1162752
Tips
- After a case of white tongue, you will need to get a new toothbrush. Your old toothbrush will contain bacteria and using it will just cause the white tongue to come back.
Warnings
- A white tongue may be a sign of a more serious illness such as cancer. If the white tongue doesn't go away after the salt treatment, seek advice from a physician.
Writer Bio
Alicia Bodine has been a professional writer for 13 years. She has produced thousands of articles for online publications such as Demand Studios, GoBankingRates and WiseGeek. Bodine is passionate about gardening, travel, education and finance. She has received awards for being a top content producer.