All patients visiting our clinic are required to complete the Patient Screening Form before their visit.
The oral hygiene section at your local drugstore can be quite overwhelming. As you walk down the aisle, you see the limitless variety of toothpastes, toothbrushes, and mouthwashes, but then something catches your eye – a tongue brush? What is that? Is it actually necessary to be brushing your tongue? According to evidence based research, it is definitely necessary as bacteria, dead cells, leftover food debris, and toxins can accumulate on your tongue overtime. This can contribute to bad breath, also known as halitosis. According to research, around 85% of all halitosis cases originate from bacteria within the mouth, and 50% are caused by the debris leftover on the tongue.
By the end of the day, you may notice a thick white coating on your tongue that often ranges in colours from clear, white, yellow, brown or green. The good news is that tongue scrapers can quickly and effectively remove extra particles from the surface of your tongue. They can be made of plastic, metals such as copper and stainless steel, and silicone – each effective in removing the debris from your tongue. Your tongue can also be cleaned with a regular toothbrush, however research has reported that a tongue scraper is more effective in removing volatile sulfur compounds (common culprit of bad breath).
Here at Credit River Dental Centre in Mississauga, our skilled providers offer a range of dental services, and we encourage our patients to take an active role in maintaining good oral hygiene. That includes brushing and flossing, of course, and incorporating tongue scraping as part of your oral hygiene routine as well. As your Mississauga family dentist, we hope that we can achieve optimal oral health for each of you together by focusing on your mouth as a whole, rather than just your teeth.
We have formulated a list of five key reasons why you may want to consider using a tongue scraper below:
As your Mississauga family dentist, we have also provided some tips to use when scraping your tongue:
To find our more about tongue scraping or other aids that can be used to improve your oral health, we welcome you to call us Credit River Dental Centre in Port Credit, Mississauga at (905) 278-4297 and we can work together in order achieve a happy and healthy smile!