The tongue is the red headed stepchild of dental care. We spend a good deal of time and attention on our teeth, brushing, flossing, whitening, straightening, capping, filling, and replacing. But what about the tongue? Did you know your tongue is the leading culprit for bad breath?

Bacteria from the food we eat sticks to the tongue, especially the back, or anterior, portion. These bacteria produce foul odors that produce bad breath. By cleaning the tongue regularly, we can clear away the bacteria and solve what for some is a serious problem.

You can clean your tongue with a toothbrush, a specially designed tongue scraper, or even a plain old spoon. Typically, a tongue scraper achieves the best results. In addition, a tongue scraper minimizes the gag reflex, which comes into play when you clean the anterior areas of the tongue. (With regular cleaning, the gag reflex eases.)

Tongue cleaning should be vigorous but not rough. Tongue scrapers are inexpensive and can be purchased in most any drug store. Like toothbrushes, tongue scrapers should be replaced on a regular basis, every few months or so.

Tags: Dental floss, halitosis, Tongue cleaner, Toothbrush

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 at 8:01 am and is filed under tooth care for adults. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.