Why Do You Have to Clean Your Tongue?

We get it. You have places to go and people to see but that shouldn’t stop you from selling your mouth short when it comes to brushing your teeth. Believe it or not, 50% of bacteria in your mouth resides on your tongue and that’s enough reason for you to take this part of brushing seriously.

If you decide to go without cleaning your tongue, all of that bacteria will transfer to your teeth. If that wasn’t enough to make you want to clean your tongue, keep in mind 90% of bad breath comes right from your tongue. Believe it or not, your tongue is very easy to clean, you just have to know what you’re doing. That means having the right tools.

This first tool you’ll need is a tongue scraper. It’s usually made of hard plastic or metal but the point of this tool is to remove the mucus-based layer from your tongue in a few swipes. Start with the back of your tongue and scrap forward. Make sure you are wiping off the debris after every swipe.

The next tool you may find helpful is a tongue brush. This tool has harder plastic bristles and will help clean the crevices of your tongue with ease. Brush starting with the back of your tongue and move to the front.

When all else fails or you don’t have any other tool, you can use your toothbrush. Keep in mind, a toothbrush was designed to clean the hard enamel of your teeth and not your tongue so if you really want to get all of the bacteria off of your tongue, it’s best to use a tongue scraper or a brush designed for your tongue.

It’s recommended that you clean your tongue twice a day after each brush. This makes for fresh breath and a healthy mouth but nothing can replace a good cleaning from your dentist. If you’re experiencing bad breath consistently, you can search ‘dental care near me’ to locate a clinic or you can join Zentist to get exclusive pricing on dental implants cost and more.