{"id":5794,"date":"2022-08-27T11:10:17","date_gmt":"2022-08-27T15:10:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carolinacompletedental.com\/?p=5794"},"modified":"2025-05-05T18:00:16","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T18:00:16","slug":"buds-for-life-your-tongue-taste","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carolinacompletedental.com\/blog\/buds-for-life-your-tongue-taste\/","title":{"rendered":"Buds for Life: Your Tongue & Taste"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Full disclosure before your Goose Creek dental team at Carolina Complete Dental Care<\/a> starts dropping knowledge on the muscles in your mouth that are partially to thank (or blame) for the foods you love: we\u2019re hungry as we write this and are envisioning pizza; yummy, savory pizza with cheese that stretches when you grab a slice, crust with just the right amount of crunch, sauce with the best blend of veggies and herbs\u2026what were we going to talk about? Oh yeah, <\/span>taste buds<\/span><\/a>! Wait\u2014are you craving pizza now, too? Let\u2019s go halfsies on some \u2018za!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Gusta-what?!<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The scientific term for your taste buds is <\/span>gustatory receptor cells<\/b>. Jot that down because there will be a quiz later (we joke). These taste buddies (that\u2019s just more fun to say, isn\u2019t it?) form before we evacuate the womb. In fact, based on their sensitivity to sweet and bitter tastes, newborns may have more taste buds than adults. For an image to distract from the pizza that may still be on your mind, picture babies trying new foods. Need help? That\u2019s what we\u2019re here for! <\/span>Here are babies tasting lemons in slow motion.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A common belief about taste buds is that they\u2019re the bumps visible on your tongue, but those are papillae which exist to give your tongue the rough texture that helps you eat\u2014your taste buds cover these papillae but can only be seen with a microscope. A person can have anywhere from 2,000 to 10,000 taste buds co-existing with bacteria in their mouths, and the number of bacteria present? That can range anywhere from 1,000 to 100,000 on each tooth\u2019s surface and jump to 100 million or a whopping 1 billion bacteria in a mouth that needs flossing and brushing.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why\u2019d We Mention Bacteria?<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re sorry to derail the humor train, but Carolina Complete Dental Care would be remiss not to mention the importance of oral hygiene<\/a> when it comes to tongue talk. Your tongue is a favorite haven for bacteria and food debris, after all, and neglecting to give it quality time with your trusty toothbrush and friendly floss (or alternatives like the <\/span>WaterPik\u00ae<\/span><\/a>) can carry consequences like cavities<\/a>, gum disease<\/a>, bad breath, and alteration of your taste buds! You know how food is harder to taste when you\u2019re fighting an infection or virus? It\u2019s like that, and we think this further highlights the <\/span>oral-systemic link.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The oral-systemic link is the term used to describe how your body\u2019s systems work together to keep you going strong, or work against you to make you feel crummy (not to be confused with crumbly like a cookie). Your mouth is a gateway\u2014your taste buds being on the roof of your mouth and your upper esophagus, cheeks, and epiglottis (the flap of cartilage that covers your windpipe while you swallow food or liquid to prevent you from inhaling it and choking) illustrate this for us. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your Tongue Isn\u2019t the Only Thing with Taste<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For another example of how your systems work together, get a whiff of how the nose operates in conjunction with your taste buds. Your olfactory receptors send signals to the brain about whether the food you\u2019re about to consume or reject is spicy, fatty, sugary, salty, and\/or acidic\u2014because food can be almost as complex as your body, can\u2019t it? And yes, we did mention the brain! <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your brain is what provides you with the sense of satisfaction you feel when eating something you love. Your brain\u2019s participation in the consumption process is further evidenced by the ability scientists have to turn taste \u201con\u201d or \u201coff\u201d by stimulating or silencing clusters of brain cells. (Does this mean they could make onions more palatable to people that don\u2019t usually like them? Maybe! But so far, testing has only been conducted on mice.)<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other Fun Tongue Facts<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n