Importance of Brushing Your Tongue
Everyone knows how important it is to brush your teeth and gums as part of good dental hygiene. Did you know that brushing your tongue daily is equally important? The surface of your tongue provides the perfect environment for breeding bacteria. If it’s not treated and you end up with a mouthful of bacteria, it can cause bad breath and lead to a number of other oral issues. Your Birmingham dental team would like to explain to you what can happen if you don’t regularly brush your tongue.
What’s that on your tongue?
Everyone has living microorganisms on their tongue which accumulate into a kind of biofilm. This film is tough and it cannot be removed using even the strongest mouthwash. Regularly brushing your tongue with a soft toothbrush will help to remove this biofilm. Dr. Roberson of Roberson Dental recommends that you actually take the time to brush your tongue and remove this coating, so it can’t promote the growth of bacteria. You should be brushing your tongue as part of your daily regimen.
How to Clean Your Tongue
In order to minimize the bacteria count on your tongue, you should brush it every time you brush your teeth. That means twice a day, when you brush your teeth, go ahead and brush your tongue too. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush to brush your tongue left to right. Then brush it back and forth. While you are brushing your tongue, make sure not to press too hard. You just want to remove the harmful bacteria and not accidentally break the skin. Afterward, rinse the mouth out with water.
When to Call the Dentist
Most of the time, simply brushing your tongue will remove odor-causing bacteria and relieve bad breath. If you still have frequent issues with your breath it may be another cause like a cavity or an abscess. Please call us with your concerns today!
