The Human Tongue

Your tongue is used every single day in your life, being one of the most active muscles in your body. With up to eight thousand taste buds, it allows humans to experience a vast range of tastes and flavors. It is essential for chewing and swallowing food, in addition to clear communication with your words. The human tongue is an important digestive organ crucial for taste, speech, and digestion, making it indispensable in our lives. 

The tongue is located from the hyoid bone in the middle of the neck to the mouth. It is attached inside of the mouth by webs of tissue; in addition to being covered by mucosa, bumps called papillae, and taste buds. There are actually multiple kinds of taste buds, including filiform, fungiform, and circumvallate. Taste buds are essentially nerve cells that help give your brain signals of saltiness, sweetness, sourness, and so much more. All tongue muscles rely on nerves, such as glossopharyngeal, laryngeal nerve, and facial nerve for all kinds of sensations we experience. As mentioned earlier, the tongue has so many important functions; eating and swallowing, speech, reflexes, oral cleansing, and even breathing. It plays a big role in moving food in the mouth and putting it in a good place to be broken down by the teeth. In addition, it keeps food from excessive contact with the teeth, and prevents harmful substances via the gag reflex. Lastly, the tongue’s positioning allows breathing when sleeping; if this is not done properly, it may result in snoring and other issues. 

Another fascinating fact about the tongue is that it can serve as an indicator for our health. A healthy tongue should be typically pink, whether that be dark or a light one. A white tongue can indicate thrush or leukoplakia; red maybe geographic tongue or scarlet fever; and if it is yellow or black, you might have the black hairy tongue condition. Furthermore, if there is an issue with movement, it probably is due to nerve damage. The muscles that control the tongue may be paralyzed. Some other issues include tongue tie, dysgeusia, numb tongue, macroglossia, and cold sores. 

To conclude, maintaining a healthy tongue is quite essential for our body’s overall health. Maintaining oral hygiene to dentist appointments, tongue scrapers, not smoking, and hydrating well will aid in doing so. Make sure to check the tongue for sores, spots, and keep track of any food allergies that may cause harm to the tissues. By taking these precautions, you can make sure your tongue remains in good health and functional for years to come. 

Works Cited 

Cleveland Clinic. “Tongue: Definition, Location, Anatomy & Function.” Cleveland Clinic, 25 Apr. 2022, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/22845-tongue. Accessed 29 Mar. 2025. Peters, Brandon. “The Surprising Complexity of Tongue Anatomy and Its Many Functions.” Verywell Health, 2023, www.verywellhealth.com/tongue-anatomy-4774957. Accessed 29 Mar. 2025.