Did you know that anaerobic bacteria in your mouth contribute to bad breath and gingivitis? One of the places they thrive is on the tongue, where they burrow into its fuzzy filaments. Unfortunately, conventional advice is to brush your tongue. While that is certainly helpful, it may not be enough to keep these bad bacteria at bay. Here’s what to do instead.
1. Use a Tongue Scraper
While you can brush your tongue using a toothbrush, this isn’t the most effective method. Why? Toothbrushes are designed to clean teeth, not the tongue, which contains tons of papillae. These come in a variety of shapes, including:
- Hair/thread shaped papillae (filiform)
- Mushroom-shaped papillae (fungiform)
- Bump-shaped papillae (circumvallate) found at the back of the tongue
- Rough folds of tissue (foliate)
The best way to clean the tongue? Using a tongue scraper that combines a specialized tongue brush and a tongue scraper is the ideal method to clean all of these surfaces! Don’t forget to clean your tongue scraper after each use just like your toothbrush.
Pro Tip: Looking for a scraper for kids? SuperMouth offers age-based tongue scrapers made for teens and tongue scrapers made for younger children.
2. Be Gentle yet Thorough
When scraping your tongue, you want to use a gentle brushing/scraping motion, which helps avoid irritation. Avoid scraping with excess pressure; mild to moderate pressure works best. What’s more, don’t neglect any portions of the tongue. While paying extra attention to the back of the tongue is helpful, you should aim to scrape the whole tongue thoroughly.
3. Scrape from Back to Front
Start from the back of the tongue and pull the brush up to the front of the tongue. Complete this motion across the entirety of the tongue. You may need to scrape each section more than once.
4. Clean Every Day, at Least Once a Day
Aim to scrape your tongue at least once a day, preferably in the morning.
5. Incorporate Tongue Scraping as Part of an Oral Hygiene Routine
Don’t neglect the rest of your oral routine! Scraping the tongue should be done alongside daily brushing, flossing, and, if you so choose, rinsing with mouthwash.
Here are five things to know when choosing a mouthwash:
- It should be alcohol-free
- It should offer prebiotic support
- It should be pH balanced (use a pH strip and make sure it’s above 7)
- It should be mineral and vitamin rich
- It shouldn’t contain artificial ingredients or fluorescent dyes
Learn More with Dr. Kami Hoss
Looking for more information on how to maintain healthy teeth, gums, and a healthy tongue? Follow my blog or consider purchasing my book “If Your Mouth Could Talk”.
