Can stress/anxiety cause pale tongue?

Hi,

I’m not gonna lie..I never really paid all that much attention to my tongue, so I can’t say for sure how long this has been going on. But I do know I’ve had a really stressful last few months due to some health scares (and I already suffer from health anxiety which clearly isn’t going to help), and that’s when I noticed my tongue is pretty pale and has a slightly thicker white coat towards the back. My dental hygienist pointed it out, but the actual dentist blew it off and said it didn’t look like a big deal. No one else has ever pointed it out though so now I’m conflicted. My mouth itself doesn’t feel dry, really just my tongue. I also never have any cavities which I know is associated with dry mouth. I have always had dry/sensitive skin in general. I’m not diabetic and I don’t have HIV. I’ve become obsessed with looking at other people’s tongues when they are talking to me, and it seems like mine is significantly whiter than everyone else’s. I do take 1mg of Xanax per day (which is known to cause dry mouth), but I stopped taking it for a month and didn’t see any change in my tongue. I’ve been looking at pictures of myself from 2-3 years back, and it doesn’t seem as white back then. It is hard to tell in pictures though. I was also a lot happier during that time and actually going out and enjoying life. Any thoughts/advice/similar experiences? Is it possible that my tongue is sensitive to chemicals in oral hygiene products? My tongue is at its whitest right after brushing my teeth and tongue. 

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