Oral Hygiene

Education

About Oral Health

WHY DO I NEED TO CLEAN MY TONGUE? Like millions of people, you may not realize how important a clean tongue contributes to good oral health. The tongue, like other parts of your body, needs to be cleaned every day. A tongue collects debris on a daily basis. This debris consists of food particles and bacteria which manufacture plaque on the tongue. Your tongue may have a white or gray appearance. This white or gray matter may be the cause of bad breath and/or contribute to gum disease and tooth decay.

WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM USING A TONGUE CLEANER /SCRAPER? Everyone! Tongue cleaning, together with brushing and flossing, can help eliminate plaque and contribute to fresh breath. In addition, people with special needs can also benefit—the elderly, the physically challenged, or those people taking certain medications that coat the tongue surface. It is advisable to speak with your dentists or hygienist about the oral hygiene of your tongue.

I BRUSH MY TONGUE WITH A TOOTHBRUSH. IS A TONGUE CLEANER/ SCRAPER BETTER? Even if you brush your tongue with a toothbrush, millions of microorganisms may be left on the tongue. Why? Visualize removing water from a glass surface using a brush—it does not work well. A squeegee is more effective. As this example shows, a toothbrush may remove some plaque from the tongue, but tongue cleaners/scrapers are designed to scrape and move plaque off the tongue surface in a forward motion. Also, some tongue cleaners have multi-cleaning features which can reduce even heavy tongue plaque. If you have a problem with bad breath, gag easily from cleaning your tongue with a toothbrush, or just want to feel more confident about your oral hygiene, then a tongue cleaner may be beneficial.