6 Reasons Your Dentist Thinks Your Tongue is Amazing

When you think about it, your tongue is actually pretty amazing. While technically you can live without it, your tongue plays a critical role in taste and sensation. In fact, having a healthy tongue is critical to dental health. Did you know your tongue is the only organ on the human body that works independently of your exoskeleton? We didn’t think so. Here are 6 other amazing things to know about your tongue and why your tongue is so important to your overall dental health.

Your Tongue is Made of 8 Muscles

Though your tongue is not the strongest muscle in the human body, it’s one of the most flexible. That’s because our tongues are actually made of 8 cooperating muscles. That’s why you can use your tongue all day and not get tired. (Though you may feel tongue tied if you talk at long intervals.)

Your Tongue Has Between 2,000 to 4,000 Taste Buds

Obviously your tongues primary function is to taste. But did you know it contains thousands of taste buds — between 2,000 to 4,000 on average? What’s more, your taste buds renew themselves every week. Overtime, they will start to break down. That’s why our sense of taste changes as we get older — and why kids hate the taste of broccoli. The flavor is much more intense for them.

How exactly does your tongue taste things? Digestive enzymes in saliva dissolve food so they can be detected and perceived by your taste buds as five possible flavors: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, or savory. But it’s not just your tongue — there are actually taste receptors in your cheeks, palate, lips, and the back of your mouth.

Taste Buds Are Designed to Keep Us Alive

Taste buds make life taste good, but they’re actually there as a defense mechanism — tell us if a food is poisonous or not. The back of our tongues in particular are highly sensitive to bitter tastes. This way, we can spit out poisonous foods before we swallow them. Sweet and salty tastes are a good indication the food is rich in nutrients.

Your Tongues Color is an Indication of Overall Dental Health

Your dentist pays a lot of attention to the color of your tongue — and for good reason. The color of your tongue is a sign of the quality of your dental health. Your tongue is pink when it’s healthy. Allergies and infections can change the color to red. White patches are a sign you have a fungal infection. Texture is important too. When your tongue’s too smooth, it can be a sign that you’re deficient of essential minerals like folic acid, iron and vitamin B12.

Tongue Rolling Isn’t Just About Genes

Can’t roll your tongue? Keep practicing — there’s hope. While genes can play a role in determining who can roll their tongue, you can actually train yourself, even if tongue rolling isn’t in your family tree. Environmental factors can also determine if a person is able to roll their tongue.

Yes, Your Tongue Can Get Fat

Fat got your tongue? Sorry, we couldn’t help ourselves. The truth is your tongue has a high degree of fat. And the fatter our bodies are, generally the fatter our tongues are too. Fat tongues can also cause obstructive sleep apnea (a serious sleep disorder in which a person repeatedly stops and starts breathing while sleeping).