Bad Breath And Tongue Scraping

Concerned about overall health, oral health or just worried
about bad breath? Tongue cleaning on a daily basis is important for all of the aforementioned. The tongue collects an unbelievable number of living and rotting organisms as well as infected mucus, bacterial biofilm and food debris. Numerous studies indicate that up to 90% of halitosis comes from the mouth and about 80% of that comes from tongue debris.

It is important to utilize tongue scraping or tongue cleaning for more than bad breath. One of our biggest concerns is the prevention of dental decay and periodontal disease. Even though you may brush
and floss meticulously, if you don’t clean your tongue, guess where all that bacteria on your tongue goes? You guessed it – right back on your teeth and gums, thereby reinfecting those areas. For the best oral hygiene, tongue cleaning becomes essential. As you are most probably aware, the implications of dental disease go beyond the oral cavity and are a contributing factor to an entire host of systemic diseases. So, whatever you can do to keep your mouth healthy, directly contributes to your overall health.

Brushing your tongue with a standard toothbrush is really not adequate to thoroughly clean your tongue. There are a variety of tongue scrapers readily available on the market. They vary in width, shape, size and material. Some look like a rake, while others are more like a strap. I suppose it is a lot like a toothbrush in that much of the design you like is purely personal preference. My preference is a simple flexible plastic tongue scraper. The good thing is that they are all rather inexpensive and work for a long time.

Using a tongue scraper is very simple. After you floss and
brush, open your mouth wide and fully extend your tongue. Then place the scraper as far back on your tongue as is comfortable the first time and progressively go further during subsequent cleanings. Use gentle strokes. Do this repeatedly until you no longer are able to remove debris. I only take a few seconds. The next time you are at the Studio we will be happy to review the technique with you. Just realize that the significance of the debris on the tongue is enormous and can be very negative. It is easily removed with a tongue scraper and should be done so daily or as often as it accumulates.