Dental Pain - Near You in

Tongue Scraping, Improve Your Oral Health

Tongue scraping is a relatively new phenomenon in dentistry. It is simply the process of removing all the debris that gets trapped in between the taste buds (or bumps) on your tongue. While cleaning this "gunk" off your tongue has been recognized and recommended by dentists for over 50 years, it is only recently that studies have been conducted to show the decrease in halitosis (bad breath), gum problems, and tooth decay by scraping your tongue.

How Does Tongue Scraping Work?

There are dozens of different types of tongue scraping appliances. They are all made for at home use, ideally just before brushing. One popular and inexpensive model is a soft flexible plastic strip that you simply bend and pull over your tongue. Usually two or three strokes is enough to remove the "gunk." The sight of the gunk on the tongue scraper is a little unpleasant, until you recall that it's the same gunk that you would have left sitting on your tongue.

Who Benefits from Tongue Scraping?

Tongue scraping is acceptable and easy enough for anyone to do. People with halitosis (bad breath) will benefit greatly from tongue scraping. It also is very effective for smokers and people who enjoy pungent or strongly odored foods. Also, some people who get a condition called "Brown Hairy Tongue," a fungal growth, will really see a big change.

Will a Toothbrush Work?

Sure, a toothbrush will work well to clean your tongue. And it certainly is better than nothing. Toothbrushes just aren't nearly as effective as some of the scrapers available. Ask your dentist or dental hygienist for suggestions on the method of tongue scraping that may work best for you.

By Brian J. Gray, DDS, MAGD, FICO

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.

Every Mouth Is Different: Oral Hygiene Tailored to You!

No two of us are alike. We all have our own smiles, speech patterns, eye and hair colorings. But we're just now beginning to learn how unique our mouth environments really are. Turns out, they're as distinctively different as fingerprints.

One patient can go a year between checkups, while another might need to return as often as every six weeks for teeth cleaning. The difference? The unique bacterial/chemical mix of each person's mouth. Professionally we call these differences "individualization."

Tartar builders, cavity creators

"Individualization" accounts for the fact that some mouths are genetically and chemically programmed to create tartar buildups, while others barely produce tartar at all. These genetic "signatures" even extend to tooth decay. There are patients who - despite their best efforts - appear cavity susceptible.

Older patients, special needs

Mouths, like people, are affected by years as well as by genes. If you're over 60, your oral chemistry is changing - and thorough examinations of gums and salivary glands can be a lifesaving early detector of oral cancer or other disease.

Patients over 55 develop twice as many cavities as children do. Many times that's because medications seniors take reduce saliva flow and dry the mouth - an open invitation for tooth decay and periodontal disease.

What should you expect from a visit to your dental hygienist? Along with your dental cleaning you may need professional scaling and root planing to remove harmful plaque and calculus deposits. He or she may also record the depths of your periodontal pockets (that space between your teeth and gums where decay and periodontal disease flourish).

Keeping track of you is a key part of the hygienist's job. It includes keeping your dental chart and health history current, making preliminary oral inspections, and creating tooth impressions.

Your hygienist is also an educator - someone who can teach you preventive dentistry skills - brushing and flossing techniques that make for healthy, trouble-free gums and teeth. Together, you two can make an unbeatable team!

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.