Hi,

Thanks for posting on XXXXXXX

First, I would like to mention that there are several causes for discolouration of the tongue associated with dry mouth and generalised numbness. I am mentioning the four most relevant ones:

1. Excessive Smoking: It can lead to yellow patches on the tongue along with dark brown spots in certain areas.
2. Mouth Breathing: Some patients who have an open bite due to wrong alignment of teeth or tongue thrusting habit result in breathing from the mouth especially at night while sleeping. This condition also causes dry mouth with coating of tongue.
3. Candidiasis: Due to bad oral hygiene or presence of infection in the oral cavity, a fungal infection may cause patchy discolouration of the tongue and dry mouth.
4. Nutritional deficiencies

Numbness of teeth may also be due to infection in teeth as well as the oral cavity.

I would suggest you to visit a dentist for a thorough examination of your oral cavity. He / she may advice certain tests to determine / confirm the fungal infection before starting an antifungal medication along with multivitamin capsules. And for the numbness of teeth, X-rays of your teeth may be done before filling cavities and removing any residual infections (if any).

Until you visit a dentist, you can start using an antifungal mouthwash, warm saline gargles (3-4 times/day) and have lots of water mixed with electrolyte to prevent dehydration. Keep your mouth clean by brushing twice daily.

Hope this answers your query. Do let us know if you have any more queries.

Regards

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Hi and thanks again,

An antifungal mouthwash is any good mouthwash that has antifungal agents such as Chlorhexidine. You can also use the more common ones such as listerine ultraclean or Colgate plax which are available at walmart.

Warm saline gargles means warm water mixed with a pinch of salt. Gargling 3-4 times/day will help.

The current episodes are more likely to gastrointestinal infection. It is not related to the oral problems.
Have lots of water mixed with electrolytes or even just plain water throughout the day to prevent dehydration that can occur with diarrhea. Besides that, stomach pains due to diarrhoea are mostly cramps and if severe you may need antispasmodic / antidiarrhoeal drugs. Your physician will write the prescription to treat the current gastrointestinal infection.
Meanwhile lots of water and bananas mixed with yoghurt (to ease the stomach) will help combat this problem.

Hope you feel better soon. Let me know if you have other concerns.

Regards

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