When you brush your teeth, you remove bacteria, fungi, toxins, and fungi from your mouth.  But were you aware that about half of these contaminants rest in between the crevices of your tongue?  To clean your tongue, it is recommended that you use a tongue scrapper in the morning.  The team at Dr. Mehta & Associates has seen how many of our patients in Riverside and Temecula have benefited from daily tongue scraping.  Here are some of the things that we have observed.

Tongue Scraping & Bad Breath

Bad breath goes beyond food particles trapped between teeth or teeth that are damaged.  Halitosis that originates in the mouth half of the time is caused by residuals found on the tongue.  Furthermore, most of the odor-causing bacteria is found in back of the tongue.  Typically, this region is difficult to reach and scrub thoroughly with a toothbrush.  A tongue scrapper is quite effective removing the majority of the bacteria that collects on your tongue.

Improve Taste

When mucus and other substances collect on your tongue, they can block your ability to taste.  Why?  Because they have a tendency to cover taste buds either partially or fully.  Tongue scraping removes build-up from the surface of your tongue.

How To Scrape Tongue

The following tips are a general guideline to scraping your tongue in the most effective way.

  • Scrap your tongue in the morning immediately after you wake. Brush your teeth after scraping your tongue.
  • Relax your tongue and scrap from the back of your tongue to the front. Use long uninterrupted strokes until your tongue feels clean of any coating.
  • After you scrape, brush, and floss, drink a glass of water.

There are a variety of tongue scrapers that you can find at health food stores, local drug stores, or online.  Metal ones are often recommended because they are easier to keep clean.

Dr. Mehta and Associates uses some of the industry’s most advanced technologies to rid deep crevices and hard-to-reach oral areas clear of bacteria.  Need an appointment?  Call us at (951) 383-6858 if you are in Temecula or (951) 667-1595 in you reside closer to Riverside.