Tongue Cleaning Fundamentals

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The toothbrush and floss are often the stars of the show, but what do you know about their little sister, the tongue scraper? Tongue scrapers might not be as essential to oral health as toothbrushes and floss are, but they can be an awesome rounding-out to your hygiene habits if you’re looking for a way to amp up your oral health.

Tongue scrapers work by getting rid of the bacteria from your mouth. Left to sit, bacterial acids on your tongue could migrate to the pearly whites and gums, where they can do some serious weakening. Getting rid of the acids on your tongue is like extra credit from Dr. Gilbert Fernandez.

Tongue cleaners come in a few different kinds, the most popular being the tongue scraper. Its tough tip makes it easy to scrape bacterial acids off of your tongue. Tongue brushes are another type of tongue cleaner, and they are increasing in popularity. Although you can also brush your tongue with your toothbrush, we wouldn’t suggest it because it’s not as powerful as brushing with a tongue scraper or tongue brush.

That brings us to an additional point. Tongue brushing is great extra credit, but it in no way replaces tooth brushing and flossing. The impact of oral illnesses affects the teeth and gums, so removing bacteria there should be your first priority. Rinsing bacteria from the tongue should come second to cleaning the chompers and gums.

To use a tongue scraper, place it at the back of your mouth and gently pull it forward. Clean the top, sides and bottom of your tongue to thoroughly extricate all bacteria. Clean the scraper before, while and after using it to ensure that no leftover bacteria will be put into your oral cavity again.

Would you like an in-person tutorial on using tongue scrapers? If so, please call 505-898-8063 now to pencil in your next checkup in our Albuquerque, New Mexico, office. Dr. Gilbert Fernandez and our Gilbert Fernandez, DDS, Inc. team will teach you all you need to understand about tongue cleaning.