Q: Three days ago I ate corn and felt some problem while eating. After I finished, I found a yellowish-white coating on the upper side of my tongue. I thought it will disappear after some time. But it was still there till the evening. I consulted a doctor, who advised me to use a tongue cleaner and told me it will fade away in sometime. But after 3 days, the coating was still there. I use the tongue cleaner twice everyday. I am not sure whether the coating is getting removed or not. I feel no pain or irritation due to it. What should I do for this? Will this cause any other problems later on?

A:Tongue coating is only significant in smokers, betel nut chewers and individuals who are immunodeficient (with AIDS), diabetes, cancer, etc. or have used antibiotics. If none of these are the cause it may go away if less sugar containing foods are eaten. Often the best treatment is tongue scraping periodically until the condition resolves or can be forgotten. Some people find that frequent use of chewing gum of any common type is the best way to cope.