Mechanical papillae These papillae anchor the mucous membrane firmly to the tongue. They also sense touch so that we can feel the form and texture of food in our mouth.Taste papillae make the surface of the tongue much larger. This allows the greatest number of sensory cells embedded there to have contact with food particles for tasting.
Saliva and food residue can get stuck in the grooves between the papillae, especially on the last third of the tongue. This can favor the development of putrefactive (rot-causing) bacteria. Then a whitish film covers the tongue, which also causes bad breath. These bacteria mainly live on remains of protein-rich food like fish, cheese or milk.Underneath the tongue: always ready for absorptionIf you stick out the tip of your tongue and move it upwards you can see the shiny surface underneath: The most noticeable part of it is the lingual frenulum and a vein on either side of it, which can be seen as bluish strings underneath the mucous membrane. The two salivary glands of the lower jaw (submandibular glands) have their ducts where the tongue meets the floor of the mouth.The mucous membrane of the tongue can absorb some substances – for example medications that are to act quickly. The tablet, fluid or spray is put underneath the tongue, but is not meant to be swallowed. This is called sublingual administration (from the Latin: lingua, meaning “tongue” or “language”).
Unique to the body: three-dimensional muscle fibers
The tongue has a great ability to move in all directions. The reason for this is the way the muscle fibers are arranged, which is unique in our body. They run in all three directions: from front to back, from the sides to the middle and from top to bottom. This allows the tongue to make the following movements: