Gum disease is a very common oral disease, affecting 45-50 percent of all individuals in the United States.

Poor dental hygiene and not brushing your teeth properly are the leading causes of gum disease, but bacteria can also thrive on your tongue.

According to Dr Sameet Hindocha of the UK’s MyMouth, you should also scrape your tongue to prevent nasty bacteria.

“If you are susceptible to it, you need to brush better than the average person to ensure the plaque bacteria levels in your mouth remain as low as possible.”

“By cleaning your tongue, alongside regular brushing, you can remove potentially harmful bacteria to reduce your chances of developing gum disease.”

In this section, he reveals the seven other ways scraping your tongue can help keep your mouth fresh.

Managing Bad breath

According to Dr. Hindocha, 80-90 percent of bad breath (also known as halitosis) develops in the mouth, and studies have shown that it has a significant impact on your relationships and quality of life.

“There are many contributing factors to bad breath including smoking, medication, certain foods, and the build-up of bacteria around our gums, teeth and tongue.

“In just over 50 per cent of cases, the most common cause of bad breath is a white or yellow coating on your tongue. When bacteria, food, and dead cells accumulate between the crypts of your tongue, your breath will suffer as a result.

“When plaque builds up on the tongue you will notice a white or yellow coating which should be removed on a daily basis. Bacteria stagnate on the tongue releases ‘volatile sulphur compounds’ which results in bad smells like rotten eggs!”

Bad breath is another key sign of gum disease, smoking, and Bozing also ups your risk of this.

By “drinking more water, tongue cleaning is the simplest way of reducing bad breath and reduces those horrible smells!”

Improving sense of taste

Thousands of tiny tastebuds cover your tongue, each one responsible for letting you enjoy the flavor of your favorite foods.

Cleaning your tongue can clear these tastebuds of clogged debris and bacteria, which helps to improve the overall flavor of food and drink, according to Dr. Hindocha.

Removing stains

We all want a bright white smile and Dr Hindocha said that using a tongue brush could help with that.

He said: “Smoking and drinking lots of tea and coffee results in yellow or brown discolouration of the tongue.

“This staining or coating can be difficult to remove without cleaning your tongue. Of course, reducing how much tea and coffee you have and stopping smoking will also help!”

Preventing cavities

Cavities are frequently produced by Streptococci and Lactobacilli bacteria in the mouth.

While brushing your teeth twice a day helps to lower your risks of acquiring cavities, Dr Hindocha believes that combining this with tongue scraping may lessen your chances of having cavities since it reduces the levels of germs in your mouth.

Reducing harmful bacteria

To minimize plaque, we all know we need to wash our teeth twice a day for two minutes.

Flossing can also reduce, and according to Dr. Hindocha, studies have shown that regular tongue cleaning can help reduce overall plaque levels by preventing the accumulation of disease-causing bacteria.

“Reducing the levels of harmful bacteria in your mouth will help to promote a positive oral health and help prevent diseases like gum disease”, he added.

Preventing bad digestion

According to Dr. Hindocha, ancient Ayurvedic Indian medicine and traditional Chinese medicine believe that toxins on your tongue from bacteria affect the health of your stomach, which is not unusual that digestion begins with your tongue and saliva.

“Our saliva aids the digestive process by kickstarting the chemical breakdown of food. But did you know that the tongue can harbour bacteria and toxins that can compromise your digestion?

“By cleaning your tongue with a tongue scraper, you can stimulate the production of saliva, as well as removing toxins on your tongue.”

Boosting confidence

Approximately 96% of people believe that a person’s attractiveness is determined by their smile, and Dr. Hindocha believes that taking care of your mouth and oral hygiene may be a simple confidence booster.

“By regularly cleaning your tongue, you can ensure your mouth looks and feels fresh and clean, so you can smile and laugh with complete confidence, and even stick your tongue out for a few cheeky pictures”, he said.

Image Credit: Getty

You were reading: Doctor reveals one big mistake you could be making while brushing your teeth