You brush your teeth and floss regularly. But if you’re not brushing your tongue, you are skipping a key part of dental health.
Thanks to their large surface areas and unevenness, tongues are a bacteria sponge. Studies have shown tongues can harbor over 700 different bacterial species. Not brushing your tongue can lead to bad breath, a decrease in your sense of taste due to film left on your tongue from bacteria and periodontal disease.
Incorporating tongue brushing into your daily routine is easy. Start at the back of the tongue, gently brushing forward then side-to-side using toothpaste. Ideally, this will need to be done each time you brush your teeth or at minimum twice a day. Then after you finish brushing, follow it up with a mouthwash rinse, which moisturizes the mouth and kills additional bacteria.
