From the attentive gaze of caring parents notnot a single detail will escape notice. Including changes in the baby's body. For example, the condition of the tongue and lips. They directly indicate the state of many internal organs. The most common problem is a white coating on the tongue of a child. This is what we will talk about today, because a white coating can tell a lot. A healthy child's tongue is pale pink, although, of course, the shade can vary. But a radical change in the color of the tongue in all cases indicates various problems. If the white coating appears only in the morning and is easily removed with an ordinary toothbrush, it is too early to panic. This is considered a normal variant. But if the coating remains throughout the day, there is still cause for concern. This means that some pathological changes are occurring in the body.
Gastritis, dysbiosis
If the white coating covers the entire surfacetongue in an even layer - most likely, we are talking about dysbacteriosis or chronic gastritis. Therefore, if you find such a coating, pay attention to whether the child has symptoms such as:
- Systematic indigestion: a feeling of nausea, vomiting, constipation or diarrhea.
- Bloating, pain in the stomach or intestinal colic.
- The child's weight is too small.
In this case, be sure to show your child to a doctor - a gastroenterologist. It is very important to diagnose the disease as early as possible and begin treatment.
Stomatitis
If the white coating on the child's tongue hasnon-uniform consistency, with white inclusions resembling semolina grains, most likely, we are talking about stomatitis or, as it is popularly called, thrush. When trying to remove this plaque, the mucous membrane begins to bleed. In addition, with stomatitis, not only the surface of the tongue is often affected, but also the mucous membrane of the palate and cheeks. In addition to the white plaque, a sharply expressed change in the child's behavior is very typical. If we are talking about very young children, they are characterized by crying, restless behavior, refusal to eat. Older children are already able to complain of pain and burning in the mouth. In this situation, parents should seek medical help from a dentist.
Problems with the intestines
In the event that a child has a coating on his tongueis localized in its posterior third, there is a very high probability that the child has some pathologies associated with the large intestine. But if the plaque is located on the middle part of the tongue, diseases of the duodenum are possible. It is very important to distinguish between problems with the stomach and the duodenum. At first glance, this is quite difficult, because white plaque on the tongue is present in both cases. However, if we are talking about intestinal pathologies, then the tip of the tongue is usually bright red.
Other pathologies
There are still a number of pathologies thatcan provoke the development of white plaque on the tongue. For example, parents should be concerned if white plaque appears only on the edges and tip of the tongue, the child may have various respiratory diseases. Moreover, this can be observed both with bronchial asthma and with acute bronchitis. If white plaque covers the child's tongue in uneven spots, it can be assumed that there are various fungal diseases, and not just stomatitis. In addition, white plaque can appear during infectious diseases, flu and acute respiratory infections. And in some cases, white plaque is a consequence of several diseases at once.
How correctly to examine a language?
In order to obtain reliable information,It is necessary to examine the tongue correctly. Doctors recommend doing this in the morning, before brushing teeth and, especially, before the child has breakfast. Ask the child to open his mouth wide and show his tongue. At the same time, make sure that the child does not scratch the tongue with his teeth. However, only the first examination of the tongue is carried out in the morning. If something alerts you, repeat the examination during the day. Remember, we have already said above that sometimes a child has a white coating on the tongue for no reason. But remember that you should not examine the tongue in the next hour after eating or taking medications. And remember that an independent examination of the tongue is only needed to notice a POSSIBLE (!) problem. You should never make any diagnoses on your own. And it is even more unacceptable to begin treating a child on your own, without a doctor's examination. After all, even a doctor cannot reliably make a diagnosis based on the appearance of the tongue alone. This requires a comprehensive examination of the child's body and, in some cases, various laboratory tests. Therefore, with all your worries and suspicions, you must immediately contact a doctor. We recommend reading:
