Where is the tongue located
?
Your tongue runs from your hyoid bone (located in the middle of your neck) to the floor of your mouth.
What is the tongue made of?
Your tongue is mostly made of muscles. It’s anchored inside of your mouth by webs of strong tissue and it’s covered by mucosa (a moist, pink lining that covers certain organs and body cavities). Your tongue is also covered with different types of papillae (bumps) and taste buds. You have four different types of taste buds, including:
- Filiform. Located on the front two-thirds of your tongue, filiform papillae are thread-like in appearance. Unlike other types of papillae, filiform papillae don’t contain taste buds.
- Fungiform. These papillae get their name from their mushroom-like shape. Located mostly on the sides and tip of your tongue, fungiform papillae consist of approximately 1,600 taste buds.
- Circumvallate. The small bumps on the back of your tongue are the circumvallate papillae. They appear larger than the other types of papillae, and they contain approximately 250 taste buds.
- Foliate. Located on each side of the back portion of your tongue, the foliate papillae look like rough folds of tissue. Each person has about 20 foliate papillae, which contain several hundred taste buds.
How do taste buds work?
Your taste buds are clusters of nerve cells that transmit sensory messages to your brain. There are five basic tastes that stimulate your taste buds, including:
- Sweet.
- Salty.
- Bitter.
- Sour.
- Umami (savory).
There’s a common misconception that different areas of the tongue taste different things. In reality, all of your taste buds have the ability to detect all five flavors — some regions of your tongue are just slightly more sensitive to certain tastes.
What color should a healthy tongue be?
A healthy tongue is typically pink, though the shades of light and dark can vary. If your tongue is discolored, it could indicate a health problem.
CONDITIONS AND DISORDERS
What are some conditions or problems that affect the tongue?
Your tongue can tell you a lot about your overall health. Listed below are symptoms that can affect your tongue and the underlying conditions they may represent.
Difficulty moving your tongue
In most cases, tongue movement issues are due to nerve damage. With nerve damage, the muscles that control your tongue may be weak or paralyzed.
Tongue-tie (ankyloglossia) can also make tongue movement difficult. With this condition, your frenum (the band of tissue that connects your tongue to the floor of your mouth) is too short. As a result, it’s difficult to move your tongue freely. In babies, this can cause breastfeeding problems. Tongue-tie may also have a negative impact on speech. Tongue-tie can be treated with a frenectomy.
Changes in taste
Dysgeusia (a change in taste) and ageusia (a total loss of taste) may be caused by infections, nerve problems, certain medications or damage to your taste buds.
Numb tongue
Tongue numbness can be a symptom of many different conditions, including:
- An allergic reaction to certain foods or chemicals.
- Autoimmune disorders, such as lupus, scleroderma or multiple sclerosis (MS).
- Raynaud’s phenomenon, a condition in which your small blood vessels constrict.
- Nerve damage, which may occur after dental work or a tongue piercing.
- A lack of certain vitamins or minerals, such as calcium, iron, zinc and phosphorus.
Sometimes, tongue numbness or tingling is a symptom of stroke. If tongue numbness develops in combination with facial droop, difficulty speaking, confusion, dizziness, loss of vision or severe headache, call 911 or head to your nearest emergency room.
Sore, bumpy tongue
Irritations or minor infections are the most common causes of tongue soreness. Smoking, canker sores or ill-fitting dentures can also cause this type of discomfort. In some cases, a sore tongue can be a symptom of oral cancer. (Keep in mind, though, not all oral cancers cause pain.)
