Your tongue is equally important, but sadly overlooked, part of your oral hygiene. Most people pay attention to taking care of their teeth, for obvious reasons including cavity prevention and tooth decay. But our tongue deserves considerable, if not equal, attention as well.
Dr. Sahakyan, the best dentist in Glendale, highlights the importance of tongue scraping. For more details on the procedure, you may visit Smile Makeover of LA dental clinic.
Tongue Scraping – What it Means
As the name suggests, it is the process of scraping off all extra particles from your tongue surface. These particles become a significant cause for bacteria formation later, which may result in oral problems including bad breath. It’s therefore important to scrape your tongue regularly for thorough cleaning. The later sections explain how it is to be done and with what.
Remember that tongue scraping is an adjunct to good brushing practices followed twice a day. Both done in conjunction can lead to healthy oral hygiene for longer.
How is Tongue Scraping Done?
Dental hygienists at Smile Makeover of LA guide and assist you in doing the tongue scraping task properly.
Tongue scraping at Glendale dental clinic is carried out using a tongue scraper. It’s a small, round tool (looks like an inverted spoon) generally made of plastic, copper, or stainless steel. However, you may choose to use the back of your toothbrush in the absence of a tongue scraper. Most modern toothbrushes are designed that way. Of course, it is not as efficient as the tool itself in eliminating bacteria that cause bad breath.
Benefits of Tongue Scraping
It is important to scrape your tongue to get rid of any debris (food particles), bacteria, or dead cells. These generally build up or stick to the tongue over a period of time. They cause bad breath which is a bad sign for your oral hygiene.
Your dentist in Glendale can perform tongue scraping, which would help in the following ways:
- A better sense of taste – According to research, using a tongue scraper twice daily can help better your sense of taste. This means that you may be able to better distinguish (and enjoy) bitter, sweet, salty, and sour tastes.
- Better-looking tongue – It may not seem too important but the appearance of your tongue matters. A white-coated tongue, an outcome of excess debris buildup, may not be a pleasant sight. Regular scraping can help remove the coating and even prevent further debris from sticking.
- Effective bacteria removal – Dr. Sahakyan, the expert dentist from Glendale, states that tongue bacteria is the prime cause of bad breath and tooth decay. Scraping twice a day for at least a week can help reduce bacteria formation in the mouth.
- Better oral health – With bacteria removal and elimination of food debris, you can look forward to improved oral hygiene.
Other Things to Follow with Tongue Scraping
Scraping your tongue is just one way to maintain oral hygiene. It’s important to follow the technique in combination with other oral health practices. Only then you’d be able to note desired effective results.
These include:
- Proper brushing of teeth twice a day every day
- Using a mouthwash rinse after brushing and scraping
- Regular flossing
- Drinking plenty of water to reduce the incidence of dry mouth that leads to bad breath
- Avoiding tobacco products that build up tar and other chemicals on the tongue
Conclusion
Tongue scraping is an effective and essential practice to keep your tongue clean and healthy just like your teeth. Tongue scraping is an integral part of good oral hygiene. Call Smile Makeover of LA today at 1-818-578-2324 for assistance on the issue.