How should I clean my tongue?
In the oral cavity, the tongue plays a significant role regarding function and oral hygiene. The appearance of a tongue can give many signs of diseases because it can show the degree of oral health, and also it can be influenced by systemic disease a person is having. So, take care of your tongue like you do to your teeth! The large surface of this organ makes it susceptible to being dirty, as the mouth is real, the dirtiest part of out entire body.
Do you know how to gauge the hygiene of your tongue? Just grab a metal spoon and position it with the working surface down towards your tongue. Scrap yourself off a sample to evaluate how stinky it is. You want to go a way towards the back of your tongue too. This will give you a sense if your tongue cleansing is helping to accomplish what you want, having fresh breath.
Bacteria, food debris, etc. may stick between those tiny fingers like projection on your tongue that we called papillae and if you happen not to brush your tongue, those bacterias, and food debris can give you a bad breath even if you brushed your teeth this morning. You can see how thick they are when your tongue had no longer in reddish pink colour but coated in yellowish white! Now you know that your tongue is not supposed to be yellowish white. Check from time to time whether the tongue is in good condition or not.
A tongue scraper is great to visibly and swiftly remove the food & bacterial debris trapped on your tongue, which, if ignored, will cause bad breath, plaque, and dental decay. Some toothbrushes have an added feature with a surface that is able to scrape the plaque off your tongue and mucosa effectively too. Feel free to explore the various tools and products out there.
Many benefits are associated with having a clean tongue. Especially for wine lovers, a clean tongue register flavors better. Most wine drinkers report that wines have more distinctive characteristics after they clean their tongue well.
Some tongue scraper comes in unique shapes that can counter the 'gag effect' - so you will be able to clean further back on your tongue (where the debris lurks). For quality sake, go for the ones endorsed and used by Dentists and Hygienists. Go to the nearest pharmacy, online store or dental clinic to get one of these. Cultivating this habit will undoubtedly lead to a fresher mouth and breath, improving the quality of your life. Eliminate bad breath from your life starting today.
If you have additional questions about oral hygiene, please give our dental office in Fairfax, VA a call. We are always available to help!