Tongue Techniques: When Was The Last Time You Cleaned Yours?
Posted on: 30 August 2018
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Every child is taught how to brush their teeth at a young age, but another oral technique which reduces bad breath while increasing taste sensation is not as actively encouraged. This technique involves a daily cleaning of your tongue. As someone who has heard of this technique, but who have not yet tried it, you're wondering what the fuss is all about. After all, you already have limited time to get ready in the morning, so is this something you really need to try and cram into your day? Consider these thoughts about whether tongue cleaning is right for you.
Why Clean Your Tongue?
You already know that one of the reasons to clean your teeth is to get bacteria out of your mouth. Bacteria which is left sitting around the teeth causes plaque and cavities. Therefore, it stands to reason that you should be getting rid of the bacteria on your tongue too. When you remove the bacteria from your tongue by cleaning it, not only do you reduce the number of bacteria in your mouth which could damage your teeth, but you also reduce a cause of bad breath. The bacteria is one cause of halitosis, so regular remove makes your breath smell sweeter. Finally, your tongue contains approximately 10,000 taste buds. When these buds are not coated with bacteria, you have a better taste of the food you are eating.
So now you know why you should clean your tongue, how do you go about it?
How to Clean Your Tongue
You have two options when it comes to cleaning your tongue. You can either use your existing toothbrush, or you can purchase a tongue scraper at your local dentist. Whichever method you use, you should clean your tongue morning and night when you do your teeth. If you use your toothbrush, brush the tongue top to bottom and then side to side. Clean your tongue after you have cleaned your teeth, and then rinse your mouth with water to spit out the bacteria. Tongue scrapers are U-shaped, and these are pulled over the tongue from top to bottom to scrape off the bacteria. Again, rinse your mouth with cold water after you are finished.
If you have any further questions about tongue scraping, talk to your local dentist about whether you are using the right technique. They can point you in the right direction if you suspect you are doing it wrong.