You know the importance of brushing your teeth twice a day, and you often hear about the importance of daily flossing. What you probably don’t hear much is that, in order to maintain good oral health and hygiene, it is necessary to clean your tongue. The tongue has got the most bacteria-covered spots in our body. A tongue not only has taste buds but also crevices, elevations, and all kinds of tiny structures where bacteria can hide unless removed physically. 

Why is it essential to brush your tongue?

At Sun-Park Dental, we advise our patients to brush their tongues. It is essential to brush your tongue for the following reasons:

• Prevents tooth decay and periodontal disease: No matter how well you brush your teeth, bacteria or small food particles that build up on your tongue may reach your teeth and gums. Brushing your tongue can prevent potential problems of the oral cavity such as tooth decay and periodontal disease.
• Improves your breath: The presence of bacteria on the tongue can lead to halitosis or bad breath. Brushing your tongue on a regular basis can remove such harmful bacteria. This can give you a fresher breath and a healthy oral cavity as well.
• Avoiding the formation of the black hairy tongue: This dark, hair-like appearance occurs when the tiny bumps on your tongue called papillae get stained due to the consumption of dark-colored food and drinks, like red wine, coffee, or soda.
• Dental bacteria can’t be removed just by rinsing: Using mouthwashes and gargles cannot help in removing the bacteria on your tongue, as they cling to a sticky film, and hence, you should brush and clean your tongue carefully to remove them.

How can you brush your tongue?

There are certain ways to clean your tongue:

Toothbrushes: You don’t require a fancy tool for cleaning your tongue. You can just brush your tongue by using a standard toothbrush, and by following short side-to-side and back-and-forth strokes. You can also do this while brushing your teeth, or after brushing your teeth.

Specialized tongue scrapers: Specialized tongue scrapers are designed to remove bacteria by scraping the mucous layer on your tongue. You can buy them at any drugstore and are quite inexpensive.

Toothbrushes with built-in scrapers: Some toothbrushes already have in-built scrapers into the rear of the handle. You can first brush your tongue, and then scrape it to make sure a comprehensive clean.

Call us 916-435-1155 or schedule an online appointment with Dr. Nguyen for a consultation at our office in Rocklin, CA.