White tongue is a coating of debris, bacteria and dead cells on your tongue that makes it look white. Although the appearance of white tongue may be alarming, the condition is usually harmless and temporary. However, white tongue can be an indication of some serious conditions, ranging from infection to a precancerous condition.

If you’re concerned about a white coating or white spots on your tongue, contact your doctor or dentist.

Causes

White tongue is the result of an overgrowth and swelling of the fingerlike projections (papillae) on the surface of your tongue. The appearance of a white coating is caused by debris, bacteria and dead cells getting lodged between the enlarged and sometimes inflamed papillae.

Causes of papillae hypertrophy or inflammation include, for example:

Poor oral hygiene
Dry mouth
Dehydration (when the body doesn’t have enough water and other fluids to work as it should)
Smoking or other oral tobacco use
Alcohol use (excessive)
Mouth breathing
Low roughage diet (eating mostly soft or mashed foods)
Mechanical irritation from sharp tooth edges or dental appliances
Fever
Examples of conditions associated with white patches or other discolorations of your tongue include:

Use of certain medications, such as prolonged use of antibiotics that may bring on an oral yeast infection
Oral thrush
Geographic tongue
Leukoplakia
Oral lichen planus
Mouth cancer
Tongue cancer
Syphilis
Immunosuppression caused by such diseases as HIV/AIDS

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