The tongue is an important part of maintaining a healthy mouth. Cleaning your tongue can help to reduce bad breath. The keys to keeping your tongue and whole mouth clean include brushing twice daily, drinking plenty of water and having a healthy diet.
Depending on your dentist, they may also recommend using a tongue scraper to clean your tongue in an even better manner. So, to answer a question we hear often: “Do I need to brush my tongue?” Yes, you should absolutely brush your tongue if you are serious about your oral health.
It's really not that big of a deal to clean the bacteria from your tongue. Adding brushing your tongue to the daily regimen of brushing your teeth adds very little time – only a few seconds! – and the benefits are great. Whenever you brush your teeth, which should be at least two times a day, brush your tongue also.
Not brushing your tongue causes overgrown bacteria, giving off a foul smell or stink. Besides causing great embarrassment, lousy breath can increase your risk of digestive issues such as reflux and GERD. Fortunately, the bad breath will go away once you brush your tongue and mouth.
What are the possible complications or risks of not treating white tongue? Without treatment, the bacteria and gunk that coat your tongue can lead to gum disease. The infection can spread to other parts of your body. The white patches associated with leukoplakia can eventually progress to oral cancer.
White tongue is the result of an overgrowth and swelling of the fingerlike projections (papillae) on the surface of your tongue. The appearance of a white coating is caused by debris, bacteria and dead cells getting lodged between the enlarged and sometimes inflamed papillae.
Toothbrush. Just like you brush your teeth, use a small amount of toothpaste on your toothbrush. Then, move front and back over your tongue. You'll know you're finished brushing your tongue when any discolored particles are gone and your tongue is a healthy shade of pink.
There are no side effects to using a tongue scraper when used properly. If you have a sensitive gag reflex, the tongue scraper may activate that reaction. Get yourself used to the feeling by not starting so far back in the mouth, but instead about halfway.
A healthy (or normal) tongue is pink and covered with small bumps known as papillae. The shade of pink can vary (provided it's not red), and the bumps should cover a good majority of the upper surface. These bumps are also on the underside of a tongue, but maybe less easy to spot.
Neglecting to clean your tongue can leave you with something unsightly. As the food particles are allowed to build up, especially if you consume dark pigmented foods and drinks like coffee, your tongue will start to look dark and even furry. With regular cleaning, the appearance will likely go away quickly.
A healthy tongue is pink in color. If your tongue color is white, yellow, orange, red, black, purple, gray, green or blue, it could mean you have an underlying health condition. If you have tongue discoloration that doesn't go away, tell your healthcare provider.
When this happens, the harsh ingredients in your toothpaste cause the cells lining the insides of your cheeks to slough off, and as they collect in your mouth, this creates the white, slimy, stringy stuff.
Light, White Tongue Coating: reflects digestive function. Heavily Coated Tongue: this is caused by excessive pathogenic fluid, which indicates poor digestion. No Coating on Your Tongue: may mean that your body is exhausted and is not producing enough fluids to promote healthy digestion.
Drinking green tea is a great way to help keep your tongue clean. Doing so greatly reduces the bacteria in your mouth. Therefore, drinking green tea helps to kill off odor-causing bacteria that can linger on the tongue.
Health benefits of lemon juice
Its cleansing nature makes it a good choice in counter acting bad breath and coating of the tongue.
This commonly happens when there is inflammation of your papillae (tiny bumps) on your tongue. The white coating is caused by debris, dead cells or bacteria which get stuck on the bumps of your tongue and results in the white coloring.
A white tongue can result from a buildup of debris. Common reasons include a dry mouth, tobacco use, and not cleaning the tongue. But, it can sometimes result from inflammation or a fungal infection. White tongue is a term used to describe any area of the tongue that has a grayish-white coating on it.
Coated tongue occurs when the papillae of your tongue are raised or swollen, increasing their surface area and allowing debris to become trapped. You may see that your entire tongue is covered or only patches or sections of it. You may also notice an unpleasant taste in your mouth.