Home ... Ear, Nose, Throat, and Dental problems
Hair In The Mouth
by Dhruv Gupta, M.D. — over a year ago in Ear, Nose, Throat, and Dental problems
21Useful
The feeling of having hair in the mouth is usually associated with an infection of the papillae on the tongue or due to a keratotic growth in the mouth as seen in certain conditions. There are recorded instances of actual hair growth in the mouth, however they are extremely rare and unlikely to occur in most cases.
The most common causes responsible for a hair like sensation inside the mouth are as follows.
An Overgrowth Of Filiform Papillae
Our tongue has different types of papillae coating the tongue. The most numerous are the filiform papillae. These cover the maximum surface area of the tongue and are individually small and prickly as compared to other papillae. Sometimes these filiform papillae do not shed old dead cells as they grow and can thus cause a feeling of having hair in the mouth.
The growth may appear whitish in mouth and can be confused with a white coating as seen in conditions like oral thrush. This condition is harmless and all that requires to be done is for a tongue scraper to be used for a couple of days so that the dead cells can be physically removed from the surface of the tongue and return to normal.
Black Hairy Tongue
A condition which is referred to as a "black hairy tongue" can result due to the accumulation of bacteria and fungus below the surface of these papillae.
Clinically this condition appears like there has been hair growth over the dorsal surface of the tongue, however again in actuality it is just the filiform papillae that have grown beyond their normal size and number.
The black color is attributed to the various pigments present in our food that can get caught in the papillae, thus "Black" Hairy Tongue can also be yellowish or brownish or any other color really.
Keratotic Lesions
Certain conditions in which there is an overgrowth of keratin producing cells inside the oral mucosa can also mimic a hair like feeling. These conditions include Candidiasis, Leukoplakia, Frictional keratosis and even in some cases auto immune conditions like Lichen Planus.
The pathology behind these conditions can be varied, however they share similar risk factors of heavy smoking, repeated friction or trauma at a particular spot inside the mouth or a defect in the immune system.
It is important to remove these all these risk factors as often there will be no conclusive diagnosis for the cause of the keratotic patch. Once the offending risk factor has been removed, this patch should resolve on its own and return to normal.
Other symptoms associated with these lesions:
Burning sensation in the mouth
Halitosis
Altered Taste sensation
Nausea
While none of the above conditions are particularly serious, they can cause a significant amount of inconvenience to the person suffering from them. An effort to remove the keratotic patch with a tongue scraper can made, however if it persists beyond a week or so of trying then taking a professional opinion is the best thing to do.
Sources & Links
Hair In The Mouth
by Dhruv Gupta, M.D. — over a year ago in Ear, Nose, Throat, and Dental problems
21Useful
The feeling of having hair in the mouth is usually associated with an infection of the papillae on the tongue or due to a keratotic growth in the mouth as seen in certain conditions. There are recorded instances of actual hair growth in the mouth, however they are extremely rare and unlikely to occur in most cases.
The most common causes responsible for a hair like sensation inside the mouth are as follows.
An Overgrowth Of Filiform Papillae
Our tongue has different types of papillae coating the tongue. The most numerous are the filiform papillae. These cover the maximum surface area of the tongue and are individually small and prickly as compared to other papillae. Sometimes these filiform papillae do not shed old dead cells as they grow and can thus cause a feeling of having hair in the mouth.
The growth may appear whitish in mouth and can be confused with a white coating as seen in conditions like oral thrush. This condition is harmless and all that requires to be done is for a tongue scraper to be used for a couple of days so that the dead cells can be physically removed from the surface of the tongue and return to normal.
Black Hairy Tongue
A condition which is referred to as a "black hairy tongue" can result due to the accumulation of bacteria and fungus below the surface of these papillae.
Clinically this condition appears like there has been hair growth over the dorsal surface of the tongue, however again in actuality it is just the filiform papillae that have grown beyond their normal size and number.
The black color is attributed to the various pigments present in our food that can get caught in the papillae, thus "Black" Hairy Tongue can also be yellowish or brownish or any other color really.
Keratotic Lesions
Certain conditions in which there is an overgrowth of keratin producing cells inside the oral mucosa can also mimic a hair like feeling. These conditions include Candidiasis, Leukoplakia, Frictional keratosis and even in some cases auto immune conditions like Lichen Planus.
The pathology behind these conditions can be varied, however they share similar risk factors of heavy smoking, repeated friction or trauma at a particular spot inside the mouth or a defect in the immune system.
It is important to remove these all these risk factors as often there will be no conclusive diagnosis for the cause of the keratotic patch. Once the offending risk factor has been removed, this patch should resolve on its own and return to normal.
Other symptoms associated with these lesions:
Burning sensation in the mouth
Halitosis
Altered Taste sensation
Nausea
While none of the above conditions are particularly serious, they can cause a significant amount of inconvenience to the person suffering from them. An effort to remove the keratotic patch with a tongue scraper can made, however if it persists beyond a week or so of trying then taking a professional opinion is the best thing to do.
Sources & Links
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I'm on two medications that you are on. I take .5mcg of synthroid for hypothyroidism and 90mg of cymbalta for depression. I have been on them for almost ten years but the feeling of a strand of hair on my tongue only started 3 weeks ago therefore I don't think they are the cause
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I frequently have this also. It is an irritating feeling. I constantly wipe my lips for fear hair is getting in my mouth.
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It is important to understand that the same symptom description in two different individuals can both have different causes in each case. Furthermore, what we think we feel may not be what actually is present...but often it is.
If the problem is actually hair, then there is likely a relationship to the production of saliva- quantitative, qualitative, or both. Relationship to medications, allergies, age related changes, etc...
Hair can get onto the tongue and be nearly invisible and stuck to the tongue by forces related to surface tension and capillary action. Such a hair can be very annoying and remain for days or weeks despite attempts to find and remove it.
Hair can also get wound around teeth, bridges, or other dental devices. A common source of hair in the mouth would be from ones pillow or bed during sleep. Expect a dismissive approach from medical professionals as there is no one answer, it's unlikely to cause harm to a patient, and patients will likely present the problem as a "oh, by the way doctor...." at the end of a visit for another problem, and most physicians would have no direct knowledge of the subject to draw from....
If the problem is actually hair, then there is likely a relationship to the production of saliva- quantitative, qualitative, or both. Relationship to medications, allergies, age related changes, etc...
Hair can get onto the tongue and be nearly invisible and stuck to the tongue by forces related to surface tension and capillary action. Such a hair can be very annoying and remain for days or weeks despite attempts to find and remove it.
Hair can also get wound around teeth, bridges, or other dental devices. A common source of hair in the mouth would be from ones pillow or bed during sleep. Expect a dismissive approach from medical professionals as there is no one answer, it's unlikely to cause harm to a patient, and patients will likely present the problem as a "oh, by the way doctor...." at the end of a visit for another problem, and most physicians would have no direct knowledge of the subject to draw from....
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Curious how many of these people are smokers or lacking fluids how much water do you drink you can feel like this if you have cotton mouth or young and roof of mouth become clogged with tar and smoke till saturated brush roof of mouth and tongue and use dry mouth mouth wash and quit smoking if you do your body become sick of things
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It's honestly not bc I came here to read you guys comments next I'm going to my doctors to ask bc you bit***s act like y'all don't know sh*t
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I have this hair in the mouth, even picked out two each of 2cm size hairs! I have fibromyalgia which has escalated.
Also higher dose of Cymbalta (60 1 x d), levothyroxine.137
Also higher dose of Cymbalta (60 1 x d), levothyroxine.137
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Mine is similar to yours. I definitely have something in my mouth. But I can't see it. Sometimes I can feel something that's like a hair from my head stuck to my lip but then it seems like it gets sucked into my mouth. I try to stop it but I can't. I feel it around my teeth. And yeah the worst is when it's down my throat. A few weeks ago I got it but I think it was from taking a bite of yogurt while I was rushing getting ready and a hair was on my spoon in fr yogurt so when i swallowed it it took the hair down my throat. With the end in my mouth. I was babysitting and it was 80 degrees in the house. The gagging and the heat made me throw up and I felt the hair get pulled out of my throat. I had some little pieces I'm guess in my mouth after that I brushed my teeth and that helped. When it I bad brushing my teeth doesn't help. The only instant help I got from this one brand of breath drops. But I can't find them now
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How many people with these symptoms live in an old building? I'm pretty sure that I have been getting the same sensation from air being pulled into my apartment through the wall and ceiling fixtures. The downstairs apartment was recently worked on between tenants and about the time it was finished I started regurally getting the sensation. I have notice an almost unnoticable haze in my apartment some days and usually when I feel it the worst if i look around my apartment really closely i can see what looks like dust coming from some outlet or light fixture. I have sealed up some of the worst offenders but I'm about to just give up and move. I love the apartment and its views but i think it's seriously knocking years off of my life. I don't know if the work they did downstairs made it noticable or if it actually started the problem. Some of the things I've seen lately have made sense of other times that I previously noticed thinga but they were so subtle that I disregarded them thinking I needed change out my contacts or clean my glasses or ok was just tripping. Now there is no denying that I actually see dust coming from the penetrations around my apartment and it is making me feel kind of crazy.
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I also forgot to add i recently made a homemade HEPA box fan filter and in three hours there was actually a tan ring where the fan blades where pushing the most air. After modifying it using a lage box so the air could move across the filter more evenly i turned it back on for another five hours and the filter was completely tan and barely allowing airbto move through so I know for sure there is dust coming into the apartment. I am only assuming it has something to do with the feeling of fuzz or hair in my mouth.
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