Everyone knows that cleaning your teeth at least twice a day is imperative for oral hygiene and dental health. With the addition of a mouthwash and some flossing, the majority of people are doing all they believe they can to keep their teeth and mouth sparkling clean and fresh. However, the tongue is an area most people tend to skip.
The tongue is an incredibly important part of your mouth. Playing a key role in chewing and swallowing food. Plus, the tongue cleverly detects taste with its many nerves that are then used to transmit taste signals to the brain, allowing us to enjoy the foods and drinks we consume. Since the tongue is so important, it is surprising that so many people tend to miss out on looking after their tongue as part of their daily oral hygiene routine. One thing that you should be doing is cleaning your tongue, and here’s why…
Your tongue is home to half of the bacteria in your mouth
Despite the amazing things your tongue can do, it does in fact harbour 50% of the bacteria found in your mouth. This bacteria can cause things like bad breath,
Cavities and even gum disease. To avoid a build-up of this bacteria, dentists suggest cleaning your tongue at least once a day for 1-2 minutes as part of your oral hygiene routine. Not only will this help you avoid the bad smelling breath that would be unpleasant for both yourself and others, it could also help prevent more serious dental concerns that could lead to greater problems.
Improve the appearance of your tongue
Although this is nothing to be self-conscious about, the appearance of your tongue could signify something about your dental and overall health. Checking the appearance of your tongue is a good way to determine if you need to visit the dentist or if you simply just need to clean your tongue. Your tongue may appear coated as though it has a white film over it when bacteria builds up. If this is the case, using a tongue scraper daily will help. If you are more concerned about the look of your tongue or you have noticed your tongue feels sore and is bleeding, it may be a good time to book a check up with your dentist.
Tongue cleaning may even improve your sense of taste
If throughout the day you tend to notice an unpleasant taste in your mouth, perhaps after eating and drinking a meal or snack, tongue cleaning after eating may help. When food bacteria builds up in your mouth, you may feel your sense of taste is being affected by this. By tongue scraping, some research has suggested that your sense of taste may even improve.
How to clean your tongue
Tongue cleaning isn’t complicated, in fact it is easy and just as simple as brushing your teeth. If you can brush your teeth twice a day you can certainly incorporate tongue cleaning into your routine.
Tongue cleaning only requires a toothbrush or tongue scraper with a small dab of toothpaste. You can choose to buy a special tongue scraper or use the gentle bristles of your toothbrush. Simply use this to delicately brush or scrape your tongue after brushing your teeth.
Once you have done this for about a minute or two, use water or mouthwash to rinse your mouth clean.
