Should you clean your tongue while brushing your teeth?

If you’ve ever wondered whether cleaning your tongue is important, the answer is yes! Tongues are rough surfaces with many ridges and small spaces that are prone to gathering bacteria. Just like brushing and flossing, cleaning your tongue is an essential part of a thorough oral health routine.

Benefits

The biggest benefit of cleaning your tongue is removing harmful bacteria that can lead to tooth decay, gum disease, bad breath, and more. Removing this bacteria will:

• Keep your mouth cleaner

• Freshen your breath

• Boost your immunity levels

• Enhance taste by removing dull taste buds

Cleaning methods

There are multiple approaches to tongue cleaning, but the most effective methods are tongue scrapers and toothbrushes. Mouthwash is helpful, but it doesn’t clean the tongue as thoroughly. Whichever method you use, it’s important to clean the back of the tongue as well as the front. It can sometimes cause a gag reflex, but the majority of harmful bacteria is found on the back of the tongue.

Tongue scrapers come in a variety of shapes and can be either plastic or metal. They are scraped along the tongue several times to remove bacteria and should be rinsed after each use.

Many people opt to use a toothbrush and toothpaste because it’s convenient. If you clean your tongue with a toothbrush, remember to brush with both up-and-down and side-to-side motions to remove the maximum amount of bacteria.

Frequency

You should clean your tongue at least once a day, and twice daily is recommended. Adding it to your current brushing routine is quick and simple, but it can make a big difference.

If you have any questions about cleaning your tongue or other oral health practices, please contact Dorius Dental Design today at (435) 657-1700.