Have You Been Forgetting to Brush or Scrape Your Tongue?

Here Are Three Good Reasons Why You Should Clean Your Tongue Daily Do you clean your tongue every time you brush and floss? While a person’s daily brushing and flossing game may be “on fleek,” it’ll never be up to standard if tongue cleaning is not involved!

The Importance of Daily Tongue Cleaning

Your tongue’s surface easily attracts and holds onto food particles and bacteria. Suppose these particles and bacteria aren’t removed promptly. In that case, harmful bacteria can start to thrive, potentially leading to a range of oral health issues, such as tooth decay, cavities, and gum disease. While brushing and flossing are essential for removing bacteria from teeth and gums, they don’t effectively clean tongues. By incorporating tongue cleaning into your daily oral hygiene routine, you can significantly reduce the amount of harmful bacteria in your mouth, promoting better overall oral health.

Three reasons for daily tongue cleaning

We’ve got three top reasons why a daily tongue cleaning regimen is so worth the extra 5 or 10 seconds a day:

You will be preventing the growth of bacteria.

By brushing or scraping your tongue every time you brush and floss, you’ll be ensuring your mouth is the cleanest it could be! You can think of your tongue as a carpet full of nasty bacteria. By forgetting to clean this especially dirty area, your mouth will still contain a considerable amount of bacteria regardless of how well you brushed or flossed. The growth of bacteria in the mouth can lead to tooth decay and force you to make an appointment with general dentistry.

You’ll be preventing stinky breath.

No one likes a bad case of halitosis – and since the tongue is the optimal breeding ground for smelly bacteria to rot, it’s actually a top contributor to bad breath. Cleaning the tongue thoroughly is an excellent way to help ensure fresh breath!

Food can taste so much better.

Did you know that cleaning the tongue regularly can allow you to experience and taste flavors more efficiently? It’s true… and the best dentists in downtown Toronto can attest to that! Clearing the bacterial mucus off of the tongue is freeing to the taste buds, which allows them to perform the way they should… allowing you to taste all of the wonderful flavors of food.

How Can I Effectively Clean My Tongue?

To properly clean the tongue, take your toothbrush bristles and drag them from the back areas of the tongue to the front (not the other way around!). Alternatively, you can use a tongue scraper designed specifically for the job. These devices are often made of plastic or stainless steel and can typically be purchased at a local drugstore. In fact, a tongue scraper is more effective at cleaning the tongue than a toothbrush. If your daily oral hygiene routine already includes tongue cleaning, give yourself a pat on the back! If not, we hope we’ve given you enough good reason to start. We’re always promoting a clean tongue for optimal oral health and fresh breath!

How should I brush my tongue?

The bullets below are all the steps you have to do when you clean your mouth: 1- Brush your teeth for a least 2 minutes 2- Rins our mouth 3- Apply a small amount of toothpaste on your brush or tongue scraper 4- Start brushing at the back of your tongue to the front 5- Brush your tongue for about 20-30 seconds 6- Rin your mouth again 7- Do this process once a day Note: You can brush the roof of your mouth, too, if you want. But try not to overclean your tongue. It might break the skin of your tongue.

Is it important to brush kids’ tongues?

Yes. If you have kids, you’d better teach them how to brush their tongue as soon as possible. All of the best dentists believe that cleaning the tongue should start at an early age. Otherwise, you might need to make an appointment with the dentist. In this regard, our experienced doctors at Bite Dental can help you and your beloved children. Our downtown Toronto dentistry is accessible to all Torontonians. Feel free to contact us and use our services to regain your oral health.