Dr. Vandana Aggarwal

Your tongue not only helps you in tasting, kissing, chewing or talking, but also helps in maintaining good oral health and hygiene. Since your tongue is exposed to a lot of bacteria and acid while you eat, taking proper care of it is of utmost importance. Not doing so can lead to the development of a whitish layer over your tongue, along with giving rise to bad breath. Not only that, an excess of bacteria on your tongue is harmful for your teeth and can cause tooth decay. 

When you clean your tongue properly, you enhance your sense of taste and bid adieu to a host of oral health problems. Here are some handy tips on taking care of your tongue:

1. Cleaning your tongue every time you brush with a tongue cleaner can put an end to bacteria growth in your mouth. Make sure to use either a tongue cleaner or a toothbrush with a dedicated tongue cleaner to clean your tongue. Also, clean your tongue in a downward motion to expel all the accumulated bacteria, and never apply a lot of pressure when doing so.
2. Apply a thin layer of your toothpaste on your tongue before cleaning it. This makes removing bacteria from your tongue that much easier. 
3. After every time you're done cleaning your tongue, rinse your mouth thoroughly with water. Also, make sure to use a mouthwash once in a while, as that keeps foul odour at bay. Although, using a mouthwash daily is not advised as it can cause dryness in the mouth. 
4. A saline water solution to rinse your mouth can keep your tongue clean. All you need is a glass of lukewarm water with half a teaspoon of salt for this. 
5. Drinking green tea is particularly good for your tongue as it reduces the bacteria in your mouth to a great extent, preventing various oral health problems as a result. 
6. Foods that are high on natural or added colours (such as berries, black grapes or orange ice popsicles) should be avoided as they leave a thin layer of color behind on your tongue, which can mar its appearance. 
7. Sometimes, a whitish layer on your tongue can be a sign of a fungal infection, in which case you should go for a professional clean-up. 
8. Drinking lots of water is good for your tongue as it helps in washing out all the accumulated food and bacteria. Also, discoloration of the tongue can often be caused by dehydration, which is why drinking adequate amounts of water that is 10-12 glasses a day is vital.

Related Tip: "5 Reasons To Get Regular Dental Cleaning"

Hi friends!

This is Dr. Premendra Goyal. Why do we most often end up in the dental clinic? Bruise tooth-get the tooth out, painful tooth- do a root canal, broken tooth-pray to God. What else can you do? And that’s the main cause a lot of people have phobia about dental treatment. In past few years lot of changes have been taken place in dentistry. Where we have gone from reactive to preventive dentistry. No one can undermined the value of regular checkups, regular brushing, and regular flossing. As the proverb goes “prevention is better than cure” or maybe a “stitch in time saves nine”. What does a regular checkup do? Scientific studies proof that a cavity can start in as less than 3 to 4 months. Once got on time these cavities can be treated in time before it reach the nerve inside your tooth causing pain. There are lot of other preventive treatments available which will help your children be cavity free for a long time. Something like a fluoride application, or something called as Patent Fissure sealants which can seal the groused in early immature or permanent tooth wherein cavity don’t progress at all. So think of prevention rather than treating a problem once it does become big. So in today’s time you don’t need to be suffering, scientific studies again have proven that a bad oral hygiene can lead to lot of complications with a general health, may be heart disease, arthritis, diabetes so in the benefit of your overall health look at regular dental visits, regular cleaning up your teeth and you should lead a very healthy life.

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Fruits and vegetables which require continuous biting like apples, carrots and corn should be avoided as it can become quite difficult while the braces are on.