Do You Clean Your Tongue?

Cleaning your tongue is an important part of your oral care process. Are you not familiar with the process or the benefits of a clean tongue? At Bridge Smiles Dental Group in Neshanic Station, NJ and Somerville, NJ, we want our patients to be informed on how to take excellent oral care. Keep reading to learn about cleaning the tongue!

With tiny, hair-like taste buds, bacteria can become trapped in the tongue like a sponge. This can lead to more plaque, more cavities, and bad breath! Just like plaque forms on your teeth after a few hours, a film of bacteria can also form on your tongue.

To clean your tongue, you can use your toothbrush or a tongue scraper. There are metal and plastic tongue scrapers that can be found where dental supplies are sold. Any of these options will do just fine.

Take your toothbrush or tongue scraper and place it on the back of your tongue, press down firmly and drag the toothbrush down towards the tip of your tongue. Do not press down hard; this may injure taste buds. Scrape your tongue a few times until it looks clean, rinsing your toothbrush or tongue scraper after each stroke.

Cleaning your tongue leads you to better oral health and fresher breath. To schedule your next cleaning and examination with Bridge Smiles Dental Group, call our Neshanic Station, NJ office at (908) 782-4418 or our Somerville, NJ office at (908) 725-0400. More information about our practice can be found on our website, www.bridgesmilesdental.com.