Your tongue does a lot for you: you can taste it, kiss it, talk to it, and so on. All the more reasons to brush your tongue, because this is the only way to maintain your oral health.
Bad breath
If you are talking to someone, they suddenly offer you a mint. Maybe it’s just random, but it could also be that you don’t have fresh breath and that it bothers you. Of course, we prefer not to smell from our mouths, and the tongue plays a major role in that. Food remains, dead cells and nasal mucus accumulate at the very back of the tongue. This contains proteins that are broken down by bacteria in the mouth. These bacteria cause a nasty odor by producing sulfur gases. Not only the bacteria on the tongue, but also bacteria between the teeth can produce these gases, giving you bad breath. But tongue coating is the main cause of bad breath.
To polish
Brushing your teeth in the morning and evening remains important, so continue to do so, preferably by not only brushing, but also brushing and flossing. This way you remove the bacteria between the teeth and the breath cannot smell through this part. But many people also forget to treat the tongue during a hurried brushing session. However, you will have to do this, because by brushing the tongue you remove the tongue coating. Research shows that the combination of brushing your teeth and cleaning your tongue has a clear effect on bad morning breath after about 24 hours compared to brushing your teeth alone. Moreover, not only brushing your teeth, but also cleaning your tongue is good for oral hygiene, because you can remove both dental and tongue plaque. Your dentist will be happy with you!
Scrape
Advice says that it is best to use a tongue cleaner such as a tongue scraper. To do this, extend the tongue as far as possible and place the cleaner to scrape on the back part of the tongue, also as far as possible. Then slowly scrape upwards with light pressure. Make sure you are careful: you don’t want any irritation from scraping or any tendency to gag. Repeat this process about five times and then rinse your mouth with water several times. You can also use a mouthwash, but you should not do this too often to prevent discoloration of teeth, molars and tongue.
Don’t have a tongue scraper and don’t want to buy one? You can also scrape the tongue with a toothbrush. However, it is less effective in removing the tongue coating. An electric toothbrush works even less well, because the vibration can trigger the gag reflex. So it is not recommended to scrape your tongue with a toothbrush!
