A 41-year-old member asked:
Every morning there is a orange/white coating on my tongue. what causes this?
2 doctor answers • 9 doctors weighed in

Dr. Charles Cattanoanswered
Gastroenterology 41 years experience
Maybe thrush(fungus): The tongue is known to have many variations with pigmenting, size, appearance, & not always due to disease. Causes of tongue that looks patchy include: lichen planus (responds to steroids), white sponge nevus (familial, benign, permanent), smoker's leukoplakia (2% risk of cancer, needs biopsy), hairy leukoplakia (due to epsteinbarr virus), warts (due to papillomavirus), "thrush" (rx antifungals).
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago

Dr. Keerti Sahasrabudheanswered
24 years experience
Many causes: Have you been on antibiotics recently? Anyway, yeast infection can do that and so can acid reflux. A dentist or ENT should be able to help you.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Last updated Sep 29, 2016
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