Have you looked at your tongue lately ? Well I looked at mine and being in the dental profession promptly took myself off to the bathroom to de-plaque my tongue following a strong cup of coffee!
So how important is tongue cleaning?
You taste with it, talk with it and from time to you make gestures with it Take a close look at the surface of your tongue, millions of nodules called papillae give it its rough texture. Between the papillae there are around 9000 tastebuds: sweet, sour, bitter and salt. Nasty bacteria and debris collect within the surface of the tongue and believe it or not release gases that cause bad breath and can affect your teeth and your gums.
It seems easy to forget to clean your tongue when in actual fact its just as important as tooth brushing and interdental cleaning. Studies have shown that tongue cleaning can reduce the bad breath gases known as volatile sulfur compounds by as much as 75%.
If you don’t keep your tongue clean and feeling fantastic you will start to loose your taste, simply put it should be part of your daily routine.
It appears tongue cleaning is not new, the Romans did it and I have discovered that tongue cleaners come in all shapes and sizes.
Being a dental hygienist and therapist doesn’t make me immune to dental disease! after all I am human too! I recently tested a variety of implements. The Philips Sonicare TongueCare+ comes out top for me. It was simple to attach the tongue brush to my Sonicare handle and the tiny rubber bristles cleaned the surface bacteria from my tongue. The brush comes with an antibacterial spray that leaves your mouth tasting and feeling fresh.
Most importantly, it’s quick, simple and powerful.
It’s the whole mouth bacteria-fighting package!
You can check out how to use the tongue brush by visiting the Philips tutorials on YouTube.
So, if you struggle with bad breath or bad taste, I would first suggest a dental health check with your dental hygienist or therapist.