Let’s figure out what this common phenomenon means.
In the morning, looking in the mirror, many often pay attention to something unusual in their appearance – a white coating on the lips. It seems that nothing light was drunk before going to bed, and a moisturizer for lips can also be excluded. Then what is the reason?
As it turned out, white plaque on the lips after sleep is a fairly common phenomenon, which can be both periodic and permanent. The simplest explanation: during sleep, saliva flows out of the mouth and dries up, forming a light crust. However, there are other, pathological reasons that Wday was told by the gastroenterologist of the European Medical Center. Nikita Novozhilov.
Gastroenterologist of the European Medical Center
On the skin of the mucous membrane of the mouth and border of the lips – stratified epithelium. It is renewed, and the scales of the epithelium slough off (flake off) and are carried away from the surface of the mucous membranes during the intake of food and water. In the oral cavity on the mucous membrane – the glands of the mucous membrane that secrete mucus. It maintains a moist environment in the mouth and protects against drying out.
The activity of renewal of the epithelium depends on the load falling on the epithelium during the following inflammatory processes:
in the mouth;
in the esophagus;
in the stomach (eg, gastritis);
in the duodenum.
Because of this, the epithelium begins to regenerate faster in response to the strengthening of damaging factors, which leads to a more pronounced sloughing of the surface layers of the epithelium of the oral cavity and tongue. This is how a plaque is formed on the tongue, which, in fact, is overly formed scales of the epithelium.
In the oral cavity, the scales are also mixed with elements of mucus, on the border of the lips, this substance begins to dry out and “bake”. This process is more pronounced at night, since during sleep we do not eat or drink, particles are not naturally removed from the surface of the tongue and oral cavity.
Thus, a plaque on the tongue and lips can be a sign indicating a disease of the mucous membranes of the upper digestive system or upper respiratory tract.
Interesting fact: some doctors of previous generations, over the years of practice, learned by the type and nature of the plaque in the language to judge the nature of human suffering.
Other possible reasons for the appearance of white plaque on the lips:
diseases of ENT organs;
allergy to products for keeping the oral cavity clean;
the use of drugs that change the composition of saliva;
lack of vitamins and microelements, due to which not only white bloom appears, but also cracks in the corners of the lips;
braces that injure the mucous membrane;
smoking;
dehydration.
Daria Vertinskaya, Expert