Do You Need to Brush Your Tongue?

CLEVELAND - We all know we need to brush our teeth, but what about our tongue?

With June being National Oral Health Month, here’s what a dental expert said tongue brushing can do.

“Tongue brushing can help reduce the amount of bacteria in your mouth and the coating on your tongue, both of which can cause bad breath, otherwise known as halitosis,” explained Sasha Ross, DMD, MS, a periodontist for Cleveland Clinic. 

Dr. Ross said that tongue brushing isn’t absolutely necessary, but it can help if it leaves your mouth feeling fresher. 

To clean your tongue, you can use your regular toothbrush or a tongue scraper.

Whichever you choose, start at the back of your tongue and work your way forward.

You want to be gentle to avoid irritating or injuring your tongue.

Above all, Dr. Ross said brushing, flossing and keeping up with regular dental visits are most important for oral health and disease prevention.

“There are many studies showing that people who have periodontal disease are at a much higher risk of having heart disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and a number of other diseases,” Dr. Ross said. “The idea being that bacteria in your mouth or their byproducts can travel through your blood and cause inflammation or other bad effects throughout your whole body.”

If you do decide to clean your tongue, Dr. Ross recommends doing so no more than twice a day.