Your tongue could be a major cause of bad breath issues. More and more studies are concluding that adequate and frequent tongue cleaning, or scraping, can help control bad breath.
It has been estimated in numerous studies that up to 90% of halitosis comes from the mouth and out of that about 80% comes from tongue debris.
The tongue has papillae, taste buds and grooves that can act like shag carpet collecting all types of odor producing debris.
Not only do the byproducts and organisms hanging about the tongue cause odor, they also provide the pathogens that cause gum disease and cavities. Those same microorganisms on the tongue can join into the cascade of oral inflammatory events that can cause increased risk for heart attack, stroke and diabetes problems.
In our office, we have begun a protocol to help clean, or scrape our patients’ tongues in conjunction with polishing their teeth and eliminating bacterial infection under the gums.
We use one time disposable Zila brand tongue scrapers to gently rake across the tongue. In so doing, we remove a host of offending pathogens and debris that cause bad breath.
If there is one thing you need to know for your dental health, it is how to prevent gum disease. This incredibly common oral disease is responsible for more cases of bad breath and bleeding sore gums than any other dental disease. If left untreated, it can cause permanent bone loss, tooth loss, and lots of other problems that no one wants to deal with. For this reason, it's worth your time to learn how to prevent periodontal (gum) disease from damaging your dental health. Click here to know more about Prevent periodontal disease
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