Keeping your teeth and gums clean is an incredibly important part of your oral health. But are you keeping every part of your mouth clean to reach optimal oral health?
Happy February! Valentine’s Day has come and gone, and we hope with not too much sugary and sticky candy. If it did, we hope that you and your family followed those treats with plenty of proper brushings, flossings, and making your next appointment with us! Brushing your teeth is, of course, very important. But your teeth aren’t the only things in your mouth that you need to be kept clean and what you need to think about to optimize your best oral health. One of the biggest things you can’t forget about is one of the biggest things in your mouth. You need to clean and care for your tongue! Even if you do brush your teeth and floss twice a day (which is what we highly recommend) your mouth won’t be completely clean without attention being paid to your tongue during these brushings.
The tongue is surprisingly one of the largest and most powerful muscles in your body and is home to most of the bacteria that live in your mouth. You need to remove this harmful, odor-causing buildup and often. One of the best ways to do that is to simply brush your tongue after you have brushed your teeth. Brush your tongue (the upper surface, the one touching the top of your mouth) gently starting from the back and work your way forward. You don’t need to scrub it super hard, you don’t want to cause any abrasions. Once you have brushed it well, make sure to follow this brushing with a good rinse. Another option is to invest in a tongue scraper. These scrapers are specifically designed to remove harmful bacteria from your tongue. They are very affordable and sold next to your toothbrushes and toothpaste. Tongue scrapers peel away the thin layer of debris that lives on top of your tongue. Just like brushing it, start from the back and scrape forward. After scraping, make sure to rinse your mouth out and always rinse the scraper too. Taking care of your tongue is simple, you just have to take the time to do so.
Still not quite convinced why you should be keeping your tongue clean? Well, we have a list of reasons of why you should that will convince you otherwise.
- The nooks and crannies found on your tongue are the perfect places for bad germs to hide. These germs can travel from your tongue, to your teeth, and other places in your body if you don’t take care of it.
- Dangerous biofilm found on your tongue can prevent you from enjoying your meals to the fullest. It prevents you from tasting everything at its potential.
- Keeping your tongue clean will help you digest better.
- If you keep your tongue clean, bad breath will almost always go away. If you have bad breath even after you take care of your tongue, you might have other issues that need to be addressed right away.
- Bacteria accumulation on your tongue can cause cavities.
- Your tongue might not develop cavities like your teeth, but it is just as much at risk. There are crevices all over the top of your tongue where so many things can get stuck. A simple rinse after brushing your teeth won’t get rid of excess cells, build-up, biofilm, and other things that cause bad breath, tooth decay, and many other issues if you don’t clean your tongue!
- Keeping your tongue clean removes harmful plaque and bacteria from your mouth that can lead to gum disease and other dangerous illnesses that can affect your mouth and your body.
- Cleaning your tongue clean rejuvenates your taste buds, and makes food taste better. It helps prevents your taste buds from becoming dull.
- Keeping your tongue clean can prevent buildup on it that can lead to halitosis.
- Keeping your tongue clean can help prevent periodontal disease.
We hope by now you see the benefits of keeping your tongue clean and know why it’s so important to do so! We encourage you to add this practice to your oral care routine. We also look forward to seeing you at your appointment. Until then, keep brushing and making healthy decisions for your mind, body, and mouth!