You floss, brush twice a day but when it comes to tongue cleaning, it’s confusing – to brush or not to brush? Here are some healthy tips to keep your tongue clean.
To Brush or Not to Brush – the Tongue
Does your tongue need to be brushed? The answer: probably not. A perfectly healthy mouth does not need additional cleaning of the tongue. However, if you are suffering from a cold or disease, additional steps can be taken. While there are a lot of different tongue-cleaning options, they basically come in 2 options. You can choose to brush the tongue with you regular toothbrush, or a tongue scraper.
Tongue scrapers come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and each person may have a preference, but they all generally work the same way, by providing an edge on which to scrape the top of the tongue. Users should start at the back and pull the scraper forward towards the front teeth. Rinse with a mouthwash afterwards for a fresher smile.
It is important to note that cleaning the tongue alone will not prevent bad breath or improve halitosis (chronic bad breath). Bad breath can exist because of disease, infection, or poor hygiene and cleaning just the tongue will not solve these problems.
However, if you like the way your mouth feels after you clean your tongue, it can certainly be part of your daily dental routine along with brushing and flossing.
Get a supervised cleaning routine, contact us a Shalimar Family Dentistry.
