Tongue cleaning is an underrated oral hygiene habit that helps in avoiding many dental issues. If you clean your tongue every day like you brush your teeth, you can have:
- Decreased bacteria growth in the mouth
- Improved overall oral health
- A better sense of taste
- Reduced bad breath
Taking good care of oral health is essential. The mouth is the entrance of bacteria; hence, it is advised to clean your mouth by brushing and flossing thoroughly. Well-balanced oral hygiene will help in preventing the growth of certain bacteria in the mouth and many dental issues.
When you brush or floss the teeth, you are keeping away the harmful bacteria. But what about the tongue?
Do you know that most bacteria can lie on the tongue too?
When you want to have good oral health care, you might have received all sorts of tips such as proper brushing techniques, floss daily, prevent too much sugar intake, and so on. However, have you received tips and tricks about tongue cleaning?
When you clean your tongue appropriately, you can relatively prevent many conditions like:
- Thrush (fungal infection)
- Halitosis (bad breath)
- Gum disease
Tongue cleaning is one of the most underrated oral hygiene habits. Let’s break the phenomena by exploring the details and putting them into practice.
Let’s understand why tongue cleaning is important and how to clean the tongue to prevent dental issues.
Why is tongue cleaning necessary?
Cleaning your tongue is as essential as cleaning your teeth and the mouth. When you rinse your mouth, it does not necessarily wash out all the bacteria on the tongue. So, it is crucial to clean it thoroughly, just like you brush your teeth.
Cleaning your tongue on a daily basis can decrease unwanted mouth bacteria that often lead to bad breath, plaque buildup, a coated tongue, and other oral health ailments.
Simply, you can also use a toothbrush or tongue scrapers to clean the tongue. Make a habit of cleaning your tongue right after brushing. This will help you to improve oral health drastically.
Follow these steps to clean your tongue using a tongue scraper or a toothbrush:
- Use the toothbrush or scrappers that you are comfortable with
- Once you complete brushing the teeth and gums, hold out your tongue as far as possible.
- Place your tongue cleaner to the back of your tongue, and move it toward the front of your language while applying slight pressure.
- Or you can use your brush by lightly forward and backward motion. You can also slowly move the brush in a circular motion to wipe off the bacteria on the tongue.
- Then, spit out any excess saliva and rinse your mouth.
- Repeat steps 2 to 3 times or several more times (as needed). Make sure not to harm the tongue while cleaning. If you gently practice the above steps, you would not have much trouble cleaning it.
Benefits of cleaning tongue regularly
Tongue cleaning can bring many vital benefits to oral health. From preventing a brand breath to eliminating the risk of potential dental issues, it helps in many ways. Have a look at the benefits of tongue cleaning on a regular basis:
- Reduced plaque accumulation on the tongue
- Lessens sulfur compounds that cause bad breath
- Improve the sense of taste
- Enhance overall oral health
Not only tongue cleaning but also overall dental care actions will help to boost oral health. Hence, people should opt for the best dental care services. When you visit your dentist regularly, you are preventing many oral issues before they occur. Likewise, when you brush your teeth twice a day with proper techniques, your teeth will be in good health.
In addition, sometimes people have a problem of bad breath despite cleaning their tongue thoroughly. This might happen because of tooth decay, infection in the mouth, or any other reason. In this case, you should consult your dentist to treat the condition appropriately.
Want to improve your oral health?
TruCare Dentistry in Roswell, GA, offers comprehensive dental care services for all types of dental problems. Whether you have an issue with bad breath or need surgeries like tooth extraction, we can help. Our dental care services are directed to improve your oral health by giving the best possible dental care treatment.