15 Causes & Common Triggers Of White Tongue (You Should Know)

Dry Mouth

Several factors, including dry mouth, can cause white tongue. People who suffer from dry mouth, also known as xerostomia, tend to experience white tongue, which happens when bacteria and food coloring combine to form a thick layer of gunk on the tongue’s surface. This layer can also be attributed to other types of bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus salivarius.

Evaluating whether you have a dry mouth can be tricky because many other symptoms may be related to a dry mouth. For example, if you’re not producing enough saliva because of diabetes, Sjogren’s syndrome, or some other medical condition, your mouth can become dry, and your breath could become foul-smelling due to the lack of saliva. If you suffer from allergies or some other condition that causes inflammation in your mouth, like cold sores or oral cancer, you may experience pain or discomfort, which may lead you to believe that your mouth is dry.