Do You Have a White Tongue or Geographic Tongue? Discover How To Correctly Clean Your Tongue to Make White Tongue Disappear!
A white tongue is something that nobody wants to have. Not only does a coated tongue look abnormal, but if it is left untreated, it's a strong indication of a breath problem. People who have the condition known as geographic tongue are definitely more likely to experience a white tongue. Geographic tongue is a sign of increased stress on the tongue. This stress can be either physical (too much alcohol based mouthwash, toothpaste with sodium lauryl sulfate, excessive dry mouth, spicy foods). Or when someone has stress in their life, that can also affect oral health by making the mouth more dry. These conditions create an excellent breeding ground for the anaerobic bacteria that cause bad breath and a white tongue. The way around this problem is simply making sure that your tongue is kept as clean as possible. TheraBreath toothpastes do not contain any detergents, making it very mild to to the tongue. They also contain soothing aloe vera - great for sensitive tongues. However, not all tongue cleaning is created equal....
Tongue cleaning (or tongue scraping) is a process that the majority of people in the United States don't do on a daily basis. It's one of the most important steps you can take to keep your breath clean and fresh!
It's not difficult to do, and it's not even that time consuming. That extra minute or two per day can reap huge rewards in preventing bad breath, helping to prevent white tongue and returning it to its normal color.
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It's not necessary to scrape hard
I've seen patients make their tongues bleed because they were pressing down too hard. In general, pressing harder does not remove more bacteria. You simply need to press hard enough so that the tongue cleaner contacts your tongue, flush across the cleaning surface. Try not to leave any gaps.
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Tongue cleaning alone does not prevent bad breath
Tongue cleaning does not kill the bacteria that cause bad breath that are breeding below the surface of a geographic tongue. It simply removes the gunk on the surface of your tongue (mucus and food debris) which are a food source for the anaerobic bacteria. In order to get rid of those anaerobic bacteria (which are responsible for white tongue), you must use an oxygenating toothpaste which can penetrate beneath your tongues surface.
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It's not necessary to use one of those complex, expensive gizmos to successfully clean your tongue
All you need is a fairly rigid instrument that you can easily make flush with the largest amount possible of your tongue's surface area. The electronic tongue cleaners you see can be helpful if you have arthritis, difficulty with coordination, or in general have a tough time performing the actions listed below.
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Step-By-Step Instructions to Successfully Clean A Geographic Tongue and Prevent White Tongue
Here is an average tongue cleaning from start to finish from one of my patients who volunteered to allow me to take his picture.
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