Is it normal to brush your tongue

Hancock Village Dental offers a wide variety of family dentistry services , ranging from routine dental care to restorative and cosmetic dental services.

We would love to welcome you to our dental family! Contact Us Today! Excellent staff. I have been to a lot of dentists over my years, but this staff was the best ever. Very Impressed. The hygenist taught me a lot about my teeth that I never knew. The office was extremely clean and used modern technology.

I was seen in a very timely manner and didn't have to wait at all. I highly recommend going to this practice! Laura Stein Florida. You should make tongue cleaning part of your usual oral care routine and do it at least twice daily, usually in the morning and before bed.

If it gets to midday and your mouth is dry or you have a foul taste, try brushing your tongue again. Enter information about your practice in the fields below, and it will appear at the top of each Patient Education page when printed.

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Patient Education Patient Materials children's dental health Pregnancy. Fluorescence spectral imaging was used to investigate the organization of around 20 billion microbes that live on the tongue. The report aims to extend our knowledge of the crucial relationship we have with the oral microbiome living symbiotically within us.

These organisms form complex communities creating biofilms on the tongue as well as on the teeth and gums. Biofilms offer an important ecosystem for bacteria and some of these microbes benefit us, but others can grow out of balance creating thick sticky coatings.

Tongue coating and tongue brushing: a literature review concludes that a build-up of biofilm on the tongue is one of the most common causes of bad breath, also known as halitosis. The review correlated that the amount of tongue coating in patients complaining of halitosis was significantly greater.

The tongue has a rough surface with various types of papillae that are the raised bumps we can feel. Food debris, bacteria, fungi and dead cells can reside within these crevices. It is understandable why mouthwashes alone may not be enough to help remove build-up on the tongue. This is why brushing makes sense, helping to dislodge and remove this oral debris. The biofilm is made up of tiny, bacteria-containing microorganisms. Getting rid of the biofilm requires some effort to physically dislodge the bacteria with a brush.

Swishing with mouthwash will only remove the surface bacteria, which are the outer cells of the biofilm. Cleaning the tongue by brushing is the only way to thoroughly dislodge the bacteria.

Adding brushing your tongue to the daily regimen of brushing your teeth adds very little time — only a few seconds! Whenever you brush your teeth, which should be at least two times a day, brush your tongue also. Brush the tongue gently, starting at the front of your tongue. Then sweep your tongue with the toothbrush, from side to side and then back and forth, and finish by rinsing your mouth out with water.

Perhaps brushing the tongue is a little scary to some folks who fear gagging. People who gag easily can try panting lightly as they brush to counteract the gag reflex.