Language is one of the most important muscles of the human body. It plays a huge role in the formation of articulate speech, is involved in chewing food. However, unlike teeth, he rarely gets enough attention and care. But this is important and necessary. Cleaning the tongue is a procedure that not everyone regularly does. How does it happen and why is it needed?
About language
This organ at first glance is nothing special - muscle tissue covered with mucous membranes. However, it performs important functions and cannot be replaced. In humans, the tongue is involved in the formation of speech, in chewing, salivation, taste perception. In animals, it also serves as a heat regulator and the main means of maintaining hygiene.
On top of the tongue is covered with special papillae, allowing to distinguish between 5 basic tastes, as well as the temperature of the food. This is an important function, but from the modern point of view, the formation of articulate speech is the most important thing. And the language is directly involved in this process along with other parts of the oral cavity and vocal cords. And since some of these organs also come into regular contact with food, you need to carefully monitor their cleanliness.
Oral hygiene
At least twice a day, you need to brush your teeth - this is what the children absorb almost with their mother’s milk. It is important to form this habit as early as possible. Ideally, it is necessary to start immediately after the appearance of the first teeth, so that the baby gradually gets used to the procedure. Each mother chooses a suitable brush and paste for her child, but not everyone is interested in how correctly they carry out hygiene measures.
Firstly, you can’t brush your teeth, leading bristles along the jaw, the enamel is thinning faster. Secondly, it is necessary to pay careful attention not only to the front, but also to the back, as well as the chewing surface, on which plaque can also accumulate or particles of food can remain, because the goal is to maintain health, not beauty, and the second is impossible without the first.
Another common mistake is the complete disregard for the remaining parts of the oral cavity. Cleaning the tongue and the inner surface of the cheeks, as well as massage the gums, as a rule, are not carried out at all or only occur from time to time. This is wrong, you need to pay attention to these parts constantly, because the health of the teeth also depends on their environment. And careful attention to the rest of the mouth can prevent a large number of extremely unpleasant diseases, so do not neglect this.
Tongue cleaning
Not everyone loves this procedure and does it. Firstly, many people suffer from a gag reflex, which can be caused by unsuccessfully pressing on the root of the tongue. Secondly, it sometimes takes longer than brushing your teeth, and in general this can hardly be called a pleasant experience. Nevertheless, this is necessary because a large number of bacteria accumulate in the entire oral cavity, which can cause tooth decay or, for example, stomatitis. And getting rid of them only on the teeth without affecting the cheeks, gums and tongue does not make much sense. Given the variety of special devices for this, do not neglect the complete procedure. How is the tongue cleaned with a scraper or brush?
Procedure
After brushing your teeth, you need to pay attention to the language. This can be done with an ordinary brush, especially if there is a special surface with rubber bristles on its back, and with the help of special tools, which will be discussed in more detail later. You need to clean both the front part closer to the tip, and the root. The latter must be handled more carefully, since pressure on this part can cause a strong gag reflex. It is better to move from root to tip, gradually increasing pressure, but not making it too strong.
After cleaning the tongue from plaque, it is necessary to rinse the mouth thoroughly, if necessary, use an irrigator and a special liquid. This will help to further cleanse the oral cavity of all unnecessary and for some time to prevent the growth of bacteria.
Why is this needed?
With some malfunctions of the digestive tract and diseases, the tongue becomes covered with plaque. Depending on the condition, it can be yellow, white and even black. In addition, pathogenic bacteria in the process of life can emit an extremely unpleasant odor, which repels others. For the treatment and prevention of such conditions, regular cleaning of the tissues of the oral cavity is necessary. In addition, it is believed that by timely updating the tissues of the tongue, you can begin to more delicately and vividly feel the taste of food. True or not, it’s hard to say, but timely replacement of the epithelium with getting rid of the old will definitely benefit.
In order to carry out the procedure correctly, you can even buy a special kit. Cleaning the tongue with it, if everything is selected and done correctly, will become easier and faster, and there will be at least unpleasant sensations. Finally, regular procedure will make the root less sensitive, which will result in a decrease or disappearance of the gag reflex. And one more plus - a constant independent examination of the oral cavity will help to notice negative changes in a timely manner, for example, the appearance of uncharacteristic plaque, ulcers, etc.
The reviews of people who began to regularly clean their tongues speak for themselves. Interviewees noted a longer feeling of freshness, less worried about bad breath, less likely to get sick. Of course, at first it is difficult for some to overcome the gag reflex, but it quickly passes. People quickly get used to the procedure and perform it daily, as well as brushing your teeth.
Brushes and scrapers
There are two main types of tools used to clean the tongue. Firstly, these are brushes in shape similar to a razor, which instead of blades have a soft rubber coating. Usually they are long enough to reach the root, so they should not be used with a pronounced gag reflex. On the other hand, a tongue brush is usually very convenient and allows you to handle the procedure easily and quickly. The second category is scrapers, which can be either a handle with a loop at the end, or a flexible curved tape made of plastic or silver. This device is more perfect, and with it you can clean literally in one motion, simply by conducting from root to tip. A silver scraper is more hygienic and durable, but also costs more, while a plastic scraper can be changed almost every week.
When choosing an instrument, you need to pay attention to whether it touches the soft palate, since pressure on it can also provoke vomiting. It is best to consult a dentist during the next appointment - he can show different types of devices and help determine, as well as tell more about how the tongue is cleaned. It is important to learn how to do it right.
Paste
Cleaning the tongue can only be done with tools, but you can also use different special gels. Of course, regular toothpaste is also suitable, but its composition usually meets other goals and may not be the best option in this case. A special gel for cleaning the tongue is usually softer, contains emollients and nutrients, as well as extracts of wound healing plants, which is important if the patient often suffers from stomatitis. Disinfection completes the procedure and allows you to not worry about bacteria and bad breath for several hours. But if for some reason it is impossible to keep a tube of another product in the bathroom, you can clean it without everything, only with water.
Features
In order not to make things worse, you need to follow some simple rules.
- Moderation in pressure. It is not necessary to rub the tongue strongly, scraping off all the mucous membrane from it. Cleansing should be carried out gently, without serious effort, otherwise you can seriously damage the tissue.
- Simple disinfection of tools and their timely replacement. Over time, bacteria accumulate on scrapers and brushes, which need to be disposed of. If they are metal, they can be placed in a special solution or boiled, and it’s easier to just throw out plastic ones every month, replacing them with new ones.
- The same tools can be used to treat the inside of the cheeks, also freeing it from plaque, mucus and bacteria.
It is important to remember that the health of the teeth and the whole body as a whole depends on the state of the oral cavity, through which a variety of bacteria can enter the body. Be healthy!