When it comes to mouth hygiene, the first thing most of us assume requires consideration is looking after our teeth. However, it is equally important to ensure that our tongue is regularly maintained. For optimum mouth health and hygiene, the two should go hand in hand.
Because your mouth is an orifice that is constantly exposed to the big bad world, it is only natural that this part of your body can succumb to a buildup of bacteria. And once bacteria begin to build up on your tongue this can lead to several issues. As it spreads it can eventually lead to tooth decay. But the shorter-term effects are equally debilitating.
As an organ, the tunnel serves many purposes, the most obvious one of which is being the mainstay of your taste function. But as well as allowing you to savour food and drink, as well as helping you ingest them down into your digestive system, another function of the tongue is to trap unhealthy bacteria. This tongue bacteria is a major cause of bad breath, or halitosis to give it its more scientific term. This condition is obviously a fairly antisocial one, and is best avoided by looking after tongue hygiene with as much gusto as keeping your teeth well-maintained.
So how should you be looking after your tongue? While it can be tempting to just give the tongue a short brush at the same time as you tend to the rest of your teeth with either a toothbrush or an electric version, this is not actually that practical. It is very difficult to apply any pressure to the tongue due to its consistency and sensitivity.after tongue hygiene with as much gusto as keeping your teeth well-maintained.
Unlike your teeth that are hard and unyielding in normal circumstances, your tongue is very soft and flexible, unable to remain in a fixed condition for any period of time. This makes it is especially difficult to apply any meaningful pressure to it. In addition, it is the tongue's very position as the introductory organ leading to the gullet that causes an instinctive reflex reaction to occur whenever any great force is applied. Anyone who has ever tried to brush their tongue vigorously will have experience of making themselves gag.
By far the best method of ensuring that your tongue stays fresh and free of unhealthy bacteria is to employ the use of a tongue scraper. Unlike toothbrushes, tongue scrapers are certainly not in common parlance. Nevertheless, they can be easily tracked down at your local chemist or pharmacy. They actually cost considerably less than the average toothbrush.
Unlike brushing your teeth, scraping your toll does not necessarily have to be done on a rigid twice daily basis. The only rule of thumb you should adopt is that if you happen to come across any debris on your tongue, then you should remove it with the scraper. When using the scraper if you should notice that a lot of material is being removed, then simply repeat the process on a daily basis until this build-up appears to diminish.
Once you notice that the amount of foreign material being removed as tapered off, then by all means scale back your tongue scraping sessions. But while you certainly don't have to follow these actions every day, don't ever allow your tongue maintenance to completely full by the wayside.