{"id":290,"date":"2019-06-27T16:07:26","date_gmt":"2019-06-27T16:07:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vanderbrookdds.com\/blog\/?p=290"},"modified":"2019-06-27T16:07:49","modified_gmt":"2019-06-27T16:07:49","slug":"your-dentist-lets-you-in-on-why-its-important-to-clean-your-tongue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vanderbrookdds.com\/blog\/your-dentist-lets-you-in-on-why-its-important-to-clean-your-tongue\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Dentist Lets You In On Why It\u2019s Important To Clean Your Tongue"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"person<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Your tongue has more of an impact on your oral\nhealth than you may think. Have you noticed that despite brushing and flossing\nevery day, your breath still smells bad? It\u2019s an embarrassing problem that can\ncause you to be self-conscious and avoid social situations. It\u2019s not necessarily\nthat your technique is flawed, but it could be that you\u2019re not spending enough\nattention to your tongue. Read on to find out why your dentist recommends\ntaking special care of your tongue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Oral Health And Your Tongue<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Your tongue takes up quite a bit of space in your mouth and\nhelps you complete daily functions like eating and speaking. Because you use it\nso often, you probably don\u2019t give it a second thought. It\u2019s the first thing\nthat comes into contact with the food you eat, and it allows you to taste and\nbreak it down so it\u2019s digestible. This means it\u2019s constantly exposed to\nbacteria and food debris and when it\u2019s not cleaned properly, could detrimentally\nimpacts your oral health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Purpose Of Cleaning Your Tongue<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When bacteria are left to accumulate on your tongue, it can\naffect your entire mouth and cause plaque and tartar buildup along with a host\nof oral health problems such as cavities, infections, and dental decay. Your\ntongue\u2019s surface has small bumps called papillae on it that traps food debris, dead\nskin cells, and harmful oral bacteria. When left uncleaned, these begin to\nbreak down, feed the bacteria, and cause them to release noxious odors or gases\nvia your breath.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Properly Cleaning Your Tongue<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So, you\u2019re probably wondering how you can take the best care\nof your tongue to protect your oral health. There are a couple of ways to\nproperly clear your tongue of any food debris and bacteria\u2014you can either brush\nor floss. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you prefer brushing over using a scraper, be sure to\ngently move it back and forth and front to back over your tongue. The best way\nto do this is right after you\u2019ve cleaned your teeth and there\u2019s still\ntoothpaste and moisture in your mouth. Remember, don\u2019t forget to clean your\ncheeks and the roof of your mouth as well before rinsing so your whole mouth\ncan enjoy the benefits of a nice deep clean. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can get a tongue scraper at most corner drug stores.\nThey\u2019re specially designed to gently move across your tongue and remove mucus\nas well as trapped food particles and harmful bacteria. While your tongue is\nsticking out, gently glide the device down your it toward the tip. Rinse the\nscraper to avoid redepositing bacteria in your mouth, and repeat the process\nuntil the whole surface of your tongue is cleaned. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cleaning your tongue is an important step to include in your\ndaily oral hygiene routine. Bacteria and plaque buildup almost immediately\nafter brushing and flossing, so this is an important step to take to keep oral\nhealth problems at bay. If you have any questions about cleaning your tongue or\nsuffer from bad breath, speak to your dentist at your next checkup and\ncleaning<\/a> to see if they have additional recommendations! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Author<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Drew Vanderbrook is passionate about making each of his\npatients feel comfortable and well-cared for. As an active member of multiple\nprofessional organizations and an elected member of the Board of Directors for\nDallas County Dental Society, he keeps up with the latest advancements in\ntechnology and treatments in his field. He regularly takes continuing education\ncourses so he can give his patients the highest quality of care that they\ndeserve. For questions about bad breath or to schedule a routine checkup or\ncleaning, visit Vanderbrook Family Dentistry\u2019s website<\/a> or contact\n214-821-5200.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Your tongue has more of an impact on your oral health than you may think. Have you noticed that despite brushing and flossing every day, your breath still smells bad? It\u2019s an embarrassing problem that can cause you to be self-conscious and avoid social situations. It\u2019s not necessarily that your technique is flawed, but it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vanderbrookdds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vanderbrookdds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vanderbrookdds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vanderbrookdds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vanderbrookdds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=290"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.vanderbrookdds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":293,"href":"https:\/\/www.vanderbrookdds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290\/revisions\/293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vanderbrookdds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vanderbrookdds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vanderbrookdds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}