If you brush, floss, and use mouth wash; but still think your breath could be fresher, the problem could be your tongue needs to be cleaned too. Bad breath surely is not pleasant to talk about and can be caused by many factors. Bad breath may be transient, often disappearing following eating, brushing one’s teeth, flossing, or rinsing with specialized mouthwash.
The back of the tongue is where many bacteria like to hang out. Also, it is more difficult to clean the back of the tongue. Other parts of the mouth may also contribute to the overall odor, but are not as common as the back of the tongue. Faulty dental work, food-impaction areas in-between the teeth, abscesses, and unclean dentures can contribute to unpleasant breath.

The most common reason to clean the tongue is for the control of bad breath. Methods used against bad breath, such as mints, mouth sprays, mouthwash or gum, may only temporarily mask the odors created by the bacteria on the tongue, but can not cure bad breath because they do not remove the source of the bad breath. The bacteria on the tongue must be removed; as must the decaying food debris present on the rear areas of the tongue. Most people who clean their tongue use a tongue scraper, or a toothbrush. Ergonomic, specially designed tongue cleaners are more effective at removing the bacterial coating than toothbrushes which merely spread the bacterial accumulations on the tongue and in the mouth.

So, if you think you have persistent bad breath, go get yourself and tongue scraper and try it for a while. Routine cleanings are always important as well. So, if you are overdue , call us today.