Tongue Talk

Hi Critters,

Oswald here!

Welcome to my Ted talk…I mean tongue talk! Have you ever noticed a white layer of build up that sits on your tongue? That white layer is a mix of unwanted bacteria, old food debris, and can be a cause of bad breath. Sooooo what should we do about that??

While Brushing your Teeth can thoroughly clean the debris from your teeth, it doesn’t get your tongue squeaky clean. Cleaning your tongue helps to remove additional bacteria that may be missed during the daily brushing and flossing routine. Did you know, you can also taste the bacteria on your tongue too? Yuck! Chances are your child will be able to taste the difference of a clean tongue. Going from an icky bacteria taste to a clean minty taste is hard to miss!

So, we know we should be cleaning the tongue everyday…but how do we do so!? Here are some options to clean your tongue you may learn from Children’s Dental Care at 113 Railroad St. in Keene.

1. With a soft bristled toothbrush, you can brush the dorsal (or top surface) of your tongue. We usually recommend brushing the tongue after the teeth are brushed for about 30 seconds.

2. Some toothbrushes have a tongue scraper on the back of them. These are super cool and convenient because you only need one tool! Brush your teeth for 2 minutes with the bristle end, flip over, then use the other end for 30 seconds to clean your tongue.

3. Another option is a tongue scraper. These are separate tools you can purchase to essentially “scrape” off the bad bacteria from your tongue. They are often metal or plastic and have an end shaped like a “V” or a “U.”

i. Take the V- shaped end of the tool and place at the back end of the tongue
ii. With two hands, gently pull the tool forward, while keeping the tool flush to the tongue.
iii. Repeat this motion until the white layer of film on the tongue is gone.

Make sure whichever tool you decide to use, you thoroughly rinse with water afterwards. We don’t want any sticky, sticky, icky bacteria hanging out for too long!

Next time you visit us at 113 Railroad Street Keene NH, make sure you brush that tongue! We will be so impressed 😉

Thanks for tuning into my “tongue-talk” today.

Stay Flossy,
Oswald