Why You Should Clean Your Tongue

Some of my patients complain of bad breath even when they brush their teeth two, sometimes three, times a day.

So what's the cause of their bad breath?

One possibility is they have dirty tongues.

There are hundreds of tiny hairs on the top of our tongues that harbor germs, bacteria, and food debris. Those bacteria survive on your tongue and produce foul smelling odor.

You need to scrape your tongue and clean it regularly to remove all those germs and debris.

One option is to brush your tongue after brushing your teeth or use the back side of the toothbrush head. Some manual toothbrushes have contours and dimples on the back of the brush head to scrape your tongue with and disturb the bacteria.

Another option is to buy a tongue scraper specifically from a drug store. Using the tongue scraper will remove the plaque from your tongue and get rid of the bad breath.

You could also just use your dental floss. After you're done flossing all your teeth, use the floss to scrape your tongue 5 or 10 times to remove the germs from in between the cilia. (don't forget to spit it out!)

Send your dental and other oral health related questions to America's Dental Expert DrVan@americandentalexpert.com

Let's Be Brutally Honest

Look, let's be honest with one another. You're not flossing every day, are you? If you're skipping the flossing portion of your morning routine you're missing out. I mean, you're missing out on actually cleaning your teeth.

The crowns of your teeth have 5 surfaces: front / back, in / out, and the top biting surface. If you're skipping 2 of those, that's 40%, ALMOST HALF, of your teeth that aren't getting cleaned. That's like going to the bathroom and only wiping the left side!

So, I'm sure I've convinced you that DAILY FLOSSING IS A MUST.

How to Floss Correctly

Sure, everyone SAYS they know how to floss, but do you REALLY know how to floss correctly?

Many of my patients complain they can't reach the back of their mouth with the floss because they can't open wide enough or their fingers are too big. That's because they aren't holding the floss correctly.

Most people wind the floss around each of their pointer fingers. You need to cram a few more fingers in your mouth if you do it that way.

Try winding the floss around your middle fingers instead. I know, it feels kind of weird the first couple times. With the floss wrapped around your middle fingers, your pointer fingers are freed up to guide the floss in between your teeth. Yes, even all the way in the back.

Send any dental related or oral health questions to America's Dental Expert DrVan@americandentalexpert.com