Why It Is Essential To Brush Your Tongue
Cleaning your tongue may be one of those imperative things you easily forget or even shove it down your to-do list. Your mouth is relatively warm, wet, and dark, just the perfect conditions for bacteria to thrive. While keeping your pearls clean is critical, your tongue deserves equal or even more attention because it harbors billions of bacteria!
Flossing and utilizing mouth wash is one way of maintaining your oral hygiene, and brushing your tongue is another. As such, you may just be paving room for common oral diseases like odor or general bad breath. Austin Preventative Dentistry tackles such oral diseases and believes that brushing your teeth is fundamental to oral health.
Why should you clean your tongue?
At Cosmetic Dentist Downtown Austin TX, our team firmly advises everyone to brush their teeth for the following reasons:
- Dentists attest to the fact that bacteria accumulate on the tongue and harden over time, thus causing tartar and plaque. When the deposit is later covered with food particles, the debris rots and causes bad breath. Brushing your teeth well prevents halitosis (bad breath) by removing bacteria hence fostering fresher breath and a healthier mouth.
- Brushing your teeth reduces the risk of periodontal disease- When bacteria that feed off the leftover food particles on the tongue builds up, it can lead to gum infection and other illnesses that may spread throughout your body. What’s more, gum inflammation may lead to ridges developing between your gums and teeth, and it’s a pretty painful experience. Austin Cosmetic Dentistry emphasizes the need for thorough tongue brushing rather than dealing with the adverse effects of periodontal infection.
- It enhances general taste- Effective tongue brushing removes the accumulated plaque, which inevitably sheds off non-functional taste buds. You can then enjoy your drinks and food tastefully!
- Boosts your digestive health and immunity- Dentists at Austin Preventative Dentistry believe that your tongue acts as the first line of defense and guards your immune system against bacterial intrusion. Scrapping your teeth of plaque and bacteria prevents the risk of toxins being absorbed into the body; thus, your immune system is substantially boosted.
- Reduces the risk of suffering from oral thrush- When yeast grows to scary amounts due to piled up plaque, your mouth becomes susceptible to oral rush. White patches develop on your tongue that looks like a fungal infection. Pretty embarrassing, right? While Austin Cosmetic Dentistry provides antifungal medication to cure such creepy infections, it is still advisable to rigorously brush your teeth for amicable prevention of oral rush.
How to brush your teeth
Cosmetic Dentist Downtown Austin TX has proven dentists who will guide you through just how effectively you should brush your tongue. Here’s an overview:
• Brush back and forth.
• Brush from one side to the other.
• Rinse your mouth with recommended mouthwash or water.
However, be a little careful not to overdo it. You don’t want to break the delicate tongue skin.
Wrapping up
Your tongue, like the entire mouth area, deserves ample oral care. Brush it carefully and thoroughly. At Cosmetic Dentist Downtown Austin TX, we endeavor to provide the best oral health care tips for our clients.
Dr. Kimberley Barclay
Co-founder and owner Dr. Kimberley Barclay is actively involved in local and national dental societies, including the Capital Area Dental Society and Spear Education courses on cosmetic dentistry. She is also a member of the Seattle Study Club, one of the most advanced education groups for dental professionals.
