Innervation of Tongue and Beyond - A Thorough Discussion

Tongue is a muscular hydrostat used to manipulate food items for the process of chewing. Located at the floor of mouths of most vertebrates, the tongue has its upper surface covered with papillae and taste buds. It forms a primary organ with respect to the sense of taste and is kept moist by saliva. Being sensitive, the tongue is supplied with blood vessels and nerves. The functioning of a tongue is directly related to chewing, tasting and swallowing aspects. The innervation of tongue is one of the most important parts of the human autonomy. Secondary Function of the Tongue In human beings, the tongue also performs the function of phonetic articulation, which is being a part of the speech related functioning (formation of vowels and consonants). To put it in a simpler perspective, had it not for the tongue, humans might not be able to speak. Even in other animals, tongues form an important link in the sounds that these animals make, like the baking of a dog. Physical Aspects Physically, the tongue has a front part within the mouth itself while the back part is attached in the oropharynx. The back part accommodates lymphoid tissues or lingual tonsils. The muscles and functioning of the tongue is such that it moves freely and even manages to contract and retract in terms of shape. Talking about its color, for most animals, including human beings, the color can be between the lighter or darker shades of red; from pink to cherry shade, and from crimson to almost pale. The Cleaning Aspect The tongue is, in fact a natural facet towards cleaning the teeth of the concerned species. More than humans, this aspect works for animals; human beings brush their teeth while their animal counterparts do not, or in this aspect – cannot. As the tongue is connected directly to the main entrance (mouth) in terms of food intake, it forms the basis of infection and it also puts on display many signs of diseases. General physicians and even dentists look for these signs on the upper and lower portions of the tongue during diagnosis.