Bad breath can be an embarrassing problem that makes it difficult to navigate social situations. However, bad breath is not necessarily a sign of serious oral health distress. More than likely, bad breath is symptomatic of unpleasant smelling bacterial growth in your mouth. However, as bad as it may smell, this bacteria actually has some protective benefits from infections and other harmful disease-causing pathogens.
Keeping Your Tongue Clean
Believe it or not, the American Dental Association doesn’t list tongue brushing as part of any oral hygiene regimen. However, this is a practice that can help eliminate bad breath. You can use mouthwash as well. Dr. Stephen Petinge wants to be your Saugus and North Boston area dentist. He’s committed to patient education and care. Brushing or scraping your tongue does have the ability to diminish your bad breath by reducing the build-up of bacteria on your tongue. It won’t won’t eliminate all the good bacteria and will give you fresh breath and a cleaner mouth. You will know when you’ve cleaned your tongue adequately because it will have a pink fleshy color. You’ll also know that you’ve eliminated the residual buildup of foods and other residues from your tongue by the lack of odor. If your efforts to clean your tongue fail to remove any residue or the color of your tongue is still unusual, see your dentist right away.
Bad breath doesn’t have to be a problem for you. Make tongue brushing or scraping a part of your oral hygiene regimen. Your mouth will feel cleaner and your breath will smell fresher. Even better, this practice won’t rid your mouth of all the benefits that come from good bacteria. If you have further questions, don’t hesitate to contact your Petinge Dental team. Say yes to fresh breath!
