From tasting to digesting food: how the tongue works

We often abuse the tongue, saying it is a tasteful tongue. Because we forget to take care of our health when we indulge in the taste of the tongue. There is another popular saying related to the tongue, it is better to shake the head of one and a half dharni than to flap the tongue of two tolas. In other words, speaking indiscriminately is also the fault of the tongue.

In this way the tongue is associated with various aspects and is also blamed. But most of the time, the role of the tongue used in swearing is important for human health. Harish Joshi says.

According to him, the tongue plays a role not only in taste, but also in various functions such as recognition of diseases and fluency in speaking.

Taste recognition

The taste of food can be known from the various 'taste buds' on the tongue. Joshi says. According to him, because smell and taste are usually felt together, the tongue helps to feel the taste based on the sense of smell taken from the nose in the taste of most food.

"After various chemicals responsible for taste send taste signals to the brain in collaboration with nerve tissue, the sensation on the tongue is established as taste," said Dr. Joshi says.

It is said that the tongue tastes more than a thousand. More than half of the sensory cells sense five main tastes out of many tastes. Which includes sweet, sour, salty, bitter and sour. From the brain to the salivary gland, Dr. Joshi says.

While chewing an object with the teeth, the taste of the object is detected by the tongue. Which dissolves some part of that substance in the saliva and activates the taste bud. A chemical reaction also occurs through food, due to which nerve impulses are generated,” he says. He says that this impulse reaches the taste center of the brain and we experience taste.

Different layers on the tongue take different tastes. While tasting, Dr. works by chewing the food and pushing it towards the alimentary canal. Joshi says.

According to him, people experience taste in every situation. For example, when a person has a fever, eating and drinking very cold or very hot food, the person's taste becomes inactive or relaxed due to which the taste is not experienced.

Not only that, but when the stomach is upset or there is constipation, dirt accumulates on the tongue, due to which the taste of food starts to change. Due to dirt, the taste of food does not reach the 'taste buds' and we cannot get the right taste of food.

The role of the tongue in speech

We have seen and heard the dignity of the tongue in sweet speech. Joshi says that the voice cannot come out clearly without the tongue. When the vowels come out, the tongue touches the palate and comes out. The tongue plays a very important role in speaking and making sounds. "When you speak, air flows through the lungs and the vocal cords vibrate," Dr. Joshi says, 'When the mouth vibrates, it can produce different sounds depending on the shape of the tongue, teeth and lips.'

Most of the time, everyone's tongue is the same, but some people may have a big tongue, which can't produce sound clearly and makes a difference in tone. "There is a fiber in the lower part of the tongue that is connected by the fleshy part that does not reach the palate, so the speech is not clear," Dr. Joshi says.

Therefore, he says that one cannot speak clearly without a tongue. Hurler syndrome and Beckwith Wideman syndrome cause the tongue to be larger than the mouth. It can be treated only by surgery.

Various studies have shown that the color of a person's tongue indicates health problems. Agreeing to this, Joshi says, 'Tongue color can be a sign of serious health problems. When it is healthy it is pink, but allergies and infections can make it red.

Fungal infection causes white spots on the tongue. A greasy tongue may indicate a deficiency of essential minerals such as folic acid, iron and vitamin B12.

Likewise, someone's tongue may be black in color. Dentist Dr. Manisha Kharbuja says, "The tongue can become black while taking some medicines, not keeping the mouth clean and smoking too much. Some people may also have a black tongue from birth."

Similarly, she says that even with Black Harry Tongue, the tongue becomes black. According to him, the round small papules that cause the taste sensation in this problem look like very big and long hair, besides, they are seen in people who take more antibiotics and who have undergone therapy in cancer patients.

Causes dry tongue

Dentist Kharbuja says that women over 45 years of age are more likely to suffer from burning mouth syndrome. In this syndrome, which is seen in some women, women feel a burning sensation in the tongue or inside the mouth. The symptoms are dry mouth due to burning mouth and low amount of saliva,” she said.

He suggests to avoid vitamin 12 deficiency as it causes warning mouth syndrome. Another cause of dryness is stress, which only lasts for a limited period, says Kharbuja. Dehydration, medications used for allergies, pain relievers and medications used for depression and chemotherapy in cancer patients also cause dry mouth.

How to keep the tongue healthy

It is important to clean the tongue daily to keep the mouth healthy. Kharbuja says. Tongue cleaner can be used to clean the tongue after eating and brushing. Any metal, plastic and wooden tongue can be cleaned with cleaner. Apart from that, the tongue can also be cleaned with a brush. Mouthwash can also be cleaned because it does not allow the bacteria on the teeth to spread. Kharbuja says that if food gets stuck, if it is not cleaned, it can cause problems like bad breath and various bacterial infections.

The problem of "coating" on the tongue increases in those who take a lot of antibiotics. Those who eat cigarettes, cigarettes, tobacco, and pollen may develop meat lumps. If there is no treatment during that time, cancer may also develop. Kharbuja says.