How To Get Coffee Stains Off Your Tongue
A big cup of coffee and a long day at work can make your tongue feel a little rough. But what you may not know is that coffee stains on your tongue can also be a sign of something more serious.
If you regularly consume caffeine, excess amounts of it can stain the surface of your tongue. This is because the papillae — those small projections on your tongue that have pores — are sensitive to the presence of bitter substances.
In other words, they react to bitter tastes with increased pigmentation in order to protect your body from potential toxins found in plants that taste bitter.
However, if too much coffee stains the surface of your tongue, this could be an indication that you’re consuming too much caffeine. To help keep those papillae clean and healthy and reduce or eliminate excess staining, here are some ideas for how to clean coffee stains from your tongue.
How To Get Coffee Stains Off Your Tongue
With Baking Soda
Baking soda is a good, all-rounder for cleaning many different things in your home, from carpets and countertops to your refrigerator and even your toothbrush. It’s also a great cleaning substance for the outside of your tongue — the inside, though, is something that you should definitely leave to a medical professional.
Baking soda is a great abrasive substance, so it’s capable of scrubbing away at the stains on your tongue’s surface and removing them. You can use baking soda on your tongue with a simple and easy two-step process.
First, swill a teaspoon of baking soda in your mouth. Then, rinse it out with an equal amount of warm water. Note that excessive use of baking soda can cause gum damage and tooth erosion, so be sure to brush your teeth after you’ve used it on your tongue. And don’t worry — too much baking soda isn’t going to poison you. In fact, you’d have to consume about 2.5 cups of baking soda in one sitting to have any harmful side effects.
With Toothpaste
Any old toothpaste will help to clean your tongue — but not any old toothpaste will help to whiten your teeth at the same time. There are a few toothpastes on the market that aim to whiten teeth in addition to cleaning them.
Crest is one of these brands, and they make several whitening toothpastes, including one designed to clean and whiten your tongue. Their Healthy White line of toothpastes uses hydrogen peroxide — a common bleaching agent — to remove stains from the surface of your tongue. And while we’ve already mentioned that you shouldn’t be brushing the inside of your tongue, you should definitely be brushing the outside. You should be brushing your teeth twice a day, but you should be brushing the outside of your tongue at least once a day. You can do this by inserting your toothbrush into your mouth and twisting it so that its bristles are facing the surface of your tongue. You can also use a tongue scraper, which is a tool designed specifically for cleaning the surface of your tongue.
With Lemon
You might be surprised to discover that lemon can be used for more than just making lemonade. Lemon is a great cleansing agent — and it’s a natural bleaching agent as well. Squeeze the juice from a lemon and then swill it in your mouth for at least 30 seconds. Then, spit the lemon juice out and rinse your mouth with warm water. Do this once a day, preferably in the morning, and you should start to see results after a couple of weeks.
Lemon juice is a powerful cleaning agent, so you’ll need to use it in moderation. Be sure to rinse your mouth after using lemon — otherwise, the acidity could start to damage your teeth. And be sure to avoid lemon if you have sensitive teeth or take any blood-thinning medication, as it can exacerbate these things.
With Orange Juice
Orange juice might be an excellent way to start your day, but it’s also a great way to finish it. Orange juice is incredibly cleansing and can help to remove coffee stains and other impurities from the surface of your tongue. Squeeze the juice from an orange and then swill it in your mouth for at least 30 seconds. Then, spit the orange juice out and rinse your mouth with warm water. Do this once a day, preferably in the evening, and you should start to see results after a couple of weeks.
Orange juice is also a powerful cleaning agent, so be sure to rinse your mouth after using it — otherwise, the acidity of the juice could start to cause damage to your teeth. And be sure to avoid orange juice if you have sensitive teeth or take any blood-thinning medication, as it can exacerbate these things.
Summary
Coffee stains on your tongue aren’t necessarily harmful — it could just be a side effect of drinking too much coffee or consuming too many bitter foods. However, if your tongue regularly has these stains, it could be an indication that you’re consuming too much caffeine and could be a sign that you need to reduce your coffee intake. You can clean coffee stains from your tongue by using a variety of different cleaning substances, including baking soda, toothpaste, lemon, and orange juice. Be sure to check your tongue every now and again to see if it has any stains on it, and be sure to clean your tongue regularly — especially if you consume a lot of coffee.
