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When it comes to oral hygiene, most people focus on brushing and flossing—but what about cleaning your tongue? Many overlook this simple step, yet it plays a crucial role in maintaining fresh breath, preventing bacteria buildup, and improving overall oral health.
So, is tongue cleaning really important? Absolutely! Let’s dive into the benefits of cleaning your tongue and how to do it correctly.
Your tongue is covered in tiny bumps (papillae) that trap food particles, bacteria, and dead cells. If not cleaned regularly, this buildup can lead to:
🦠 Bacteria Overgrowth – A coated tongue harbors bacteria that contribute to bad breath and oral infections.
👅 White or Coated Tongue – A layer of bacteria and debris can form, making your tongue look white or yellowish.
😷 Bad Breath (Halitosis) – The tongue is one of the biggest culprits of persistent bad breath.
🦷 Increased Risk of Cavities and Gum Disease – Bacteria from your tongue can transfer to your teeth and gums.
By regularly cleaning your tongue, you remove these harmful substances and keep your mouth fresh and healthy.
✅ Prevents Bad Breath – Eliminates odor-causing bacteria trapped on the tongue.
✅ Reduces Bacteria & Plaque – Helps lower the risk of cavities and gum disease.
✅ Enhances Taste Sensation – Removes buildup that can dull your taste buds.
✅ Improves Oral Hygiene – Complements brushing and flossing for a cleaner mouth.
✅ May Improve Digestion – A clean tongue enhances saliva production, aiding in digestion.
There are two main ways to clean your tongue: using a tongue scraper or a toothbrush.
🔹 A tongue scraper is a U-shaped tool designed to remove bacteria and debris.
🔹 Steps:
1️⃣ Stick out your tongue and place the scraper at the back.
2️⃣ Gently pull the scraper forward, removing the coating.
3️⃣ Rinse the scraper and repeat 2–3 times until your tongue looks clean.
4️⃣ Rinse your mouth with water or mouthwash.
💡 Pro Tip: Use a stainless steel or copper tongue scraper for durability and effectiveness.
🔹 If you don’t have a tongue scraper, you can use your toothbrush to clean your tongue.
🔹 Steps:
1️⃣ Brush your tongue in a back-to-front motion.
2️⃣ Rinse your mouth and toothbrush thoroughly.
3️⃣ Repeat daily for best results.
🚨 Avoid brushing too hard to prevent irritation or damage to your taste buds.
🗓 Daily! It’s best to clean your tongue every morning to remove bacteria buildup from overnight. If you suffer from bad breath, you may also clean it twice a day (morning and night).
❌ Persistent Bad Breath – Bacteria buildup causes unpleasant odors.
❌ Increased Risk of Oral Infections – A coated tongue can lead to yeast infections like oral thrush.
❌ More Plaque & Cavities – Bacteria from your tongue can spread to your teeth.
❌ Weaker Sense of Taste – A coated tongue can dull taste buds over time.
✅ YES! Tongue cleaning is just as important as brushing and flossing. It helps prevent bad breath, cavities, and bacterial buildup, leading to better oral and overall health.
So next time you brush your teeth, don’t forget to clean your tongue too!
💬 Do you clean your tongue daily? What method do you prefer? Let us know in the comments!
At every dental appointment, dental patients are reminded of the importance of their at-home oral hygiene practices: Brush your teeth, floss, rinse and so on. Everyone knows the basics, but have you heard of tongue scraping?
Your tongue is a big muscle covered in tons of little bumps called papillae, where your taste buds live. It helps you eat food and drink water. That means that everything that touches and gets stuck in your teeth also touches your tongue—and it doesn’t all go away when you brush, floss, or rinse.
The tongue is constantly exposed to bacteria just like teeth are, and it can hold onto them really well thanks to its bumpy texture. If you ever notice a white film on your tongue, it could be bacteria or plaque—and if you don’t clean it, the bacteria can make their way onto your teeth even if you’ve recently brushed and flossed.
That’s where tongue scraping comes in. The best way to clean the plaque and bacteria off your tongue is to scrape it. There are tools made specifically to help you scrape your teeth: They’re called (surprise, surprise!) tongue scrapers.
When using a tongue scraper, start at the back of your tongue and gently but firmly scrape toward the tip of your tongue. After each scrape, wipe off the scraper to get rid of any residue. You might only need to scrape once, but we recommend you do it each time you brush your teeth. Alternatively, you can use a spoon or simply brush your tongue with a toothbrush, but neither is as effective as using a scraper.
There are more benefits to tongue scraping than just a clean tongue. It can also reduce bad breath, improve your sense of taste (think of all the clean taste buds!) and even improve your oral appearance. Regularly scraping your tongue should keep it a nice, healthy pink color.
As with all dental care, consistency is key. Just like you should brush your teeth twice a day, you’ll only see improvements to your tongue if you clean it every day.
Did you know there is a super simple way to help prevent bad breath that you should actually already be doing? This should already be part of your dental hygiene routine in order to prevent tooth decay, but it’s also a great way to get rid of germs that cause bad breath. Can you guess what it is? We’ll give you a hint: you’ve probably lied to your hygienist about it.
The answer: Flossing!
If the threat of gum disease and cavities isn’t enough to get you flossing everyday, maybe the idea of embarrassing bad breath will be. The importance of flossing can be hard to perceive, because unlike the plaque on the fronts and backs of your teeth, the plaque between them is harder to see and impossible to feel. But there’s a very good chance the people around you can smell it.
When you only brush your teeth you miss out on cleaning a significant amount of the surface of your teeth. Unlike brushing, flossing allows you to go as much as 2 millimeters under your gums, allowing you to remove unseen bacteria from the surface of your teeth. If it isn’t removed, this bacteria will sit in your mouth and start expelling the stinky gasses that cause bad breath.
Remember, it is especially important to floss if you have dental implants or a dental bridge. These “replacement teeth” offer more places for food particles and the bacteria that feeds off them to hide. While crowns and implants aren’t vulnerable to cavities, they also don’t make you immune to gum disease! There are special kinds of floss that make getting in and around your dental prosthesis easier than with traditional floss. Water picks are also good alternatives to floss that can flush away stinky breath bacteria.
If you want a tutorial on the best way to floss for your particular oral health situation, please ask us at your next visit. We would be happy to give you a refresher to improve your dental hygiene routine!
Flossing is an important part of any at-home oral hygiene routine. But it’s also a source of anxiety, pain, and even shame. Instead of dreading the inevitable “floss talk” from your dentist, try these tricks to get in the habit of flossing regularly. Your smile will thank you!
First, finding the right tools is essential. String floss is the oldest tool for flossing, but many find it cumbersome and simply uncomfortable. Patients who avoid string floss might complain about sticking their fingers in their mouth, not being able to reach their back teeth, or discomfort when wrapping the floss around their fingers. Such patients may find flossers to be the key to a good flossing routine.
Flossers are tools that allow you to extend your reach without wrapping floss around your fingers or sticking your fingers in your mouth. They are often one-handed tools, so if you like to multitask, you’ll be able to use your free hand for other tasks. There are a few options to consider when looking for a flosser, including the following:
The first two still use string floss, but the tool holds it so you don’t have to. Since you use the same portion of string repeatedly, it’s important to rinse it off after every tooth gap so you don’t just transfer any removed residue to other teeth.
The single-use flossers are great to stow in the car, desk drawer, or purse for when you’re not at home. Many patients have them on hand even if they use other flossing methods at home; you never know when the urge to floss will hit!
Water flossers are becoming a popular tool for at-home flossing because of how easy to use they are and how gentle they are on teeth and gums. This type of flosser uses a stream of water to remove plaque and food particles. Because you don’t need to guide string between your teeth, water flossers make it much easier to clean around braces or permanent bridges.
Once you have your preferred flossing tool, it’s time to establish that habit that will make not flossing feel as weird as flossing feels now.
Consistency is key in creating new habits. Here are a few ideas for staying consistent:
Even with a good routine, there will be times when you just don’t feel like flossing. Just remember why you do it: clean teeth mean a cleaner smile, better breath, and fewer trips to the dentist for costly procedures.
With these tips, we’re confident you’ll build good flossing habits. Let us know if these tips work for you, or if you used any others as well!
