Don’t Forget About Your Tongue When Brushing

It’s commonly known that brushing your teeth at least twice a day and flossing daily helps keep your teeth and gums healthy. What many people tend to forget or not know about is that there’s one more important step to take towards a good daily oral health routine. Your tongue contains a lot of bacteria, which is why it is important to also brush your tongue any time you brush your teeth.

Why You Need to Clean Your Tonguebrushing teeth, brushing tips, clean your teeth

While at first glance your tongue looks more or less flat, it actually contains a lot of bumps (especially at the back), called papillae, which are covered in taste buds. Bacteria and food particles (which the bacteria feed on) can get stuck between these bumps. These bacteria can cause tooth decay and bad breath. Brushing your tongue helps get rid of these bacteria, keeping your mouth clean.

How to Keep Your Tongue Clean

To clean your tongue, the only tool you need is your toothbrush. Use your toothbrush to brush from the back of your tongue towards the front. You can also use a tongue scraper instead of a toothbrush to clean your tongue, which can be a bit easier to use and is less likely to cause a gag reflex.

Once you’re done cleaning your tongue, rinse your mouth and toothbrush or scraper.

Brushing your tongue daily is a habit that won’t even take a minute to perform, but can make a big difference for your oral health. Especially if you suffer from bad breath, brushing your tongue every day is very important.

Call Dr. Bosse of Greenspoint Dental today and schedule an appointment!