Your daily oral hygiene routine is founded on brushing your teeth twice each day and flossing once each evening. This helps remove residual food particles and plaque from your teeth and gumline. At the same time, the rough surfaces of your tongue can also trap bacteria and plaque, causing bad breath and encouraging overnight plaque formation. One way to reduce this effect is to clean your tongue as part of your daily oral hygiene routine.
This can be done after you have completed brushing and flossing your teeth. You can simply use your still-wet toothbrush to brush your tongue in a gentle circular motion. Make sure you brush around the sides of the tongue and the rough surface of the taste buds. This will help clean the bacteria and refresh your mouth.
Some people prefer to use a tongue scraper. This usually comes in the form of a small, plastic handle with a mildly sharp edge on one end. When using a tongue scraper, you should work from front to back, making multiple overlapping sweeps. If you notice a buildup of material on the blade edge, you should rinse it off before making another pass over your tongue.
Once your tongue has been cleaned, you can rinse your mouth with antiseptic mouthwash, which can also help wash away lingering bacteria and freshen your breath. Just keep in mind that antiseptic mouthwash can’t clean between teeth with the effectiveness of dental floss. Any material left in these areas will once again promote plaque formation and bad breath.
If you have questions about cleaning your tongue or other aspects of your daily oral hygiene routine in Verona, New Jersey, you can always call (973) 791-4104 to speak with a member of our Jacob Shrayman, DDS staff.