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The American Dental Association recommends brushing your teeth twice each day and flossing every evening to remove food particles and plaque from your teeth as well as along the gumline. If you’re still struggling with chronic bad breath that isn’t related to a medication or medical condition, you might want to include a tongue cleaning at the end of your daily oral hygiene routine. This will reduce the overall bacterial load in your mouth to reduce bad breath issues.

This can be pretty simple as all you need to do is use your wetted toothbrush. Make sure you brush around the sides of the tongue and the rough surface of the taste buds. This will help remove any bacteria and plaque buildup from the rough textures of your tongue.

There are also special tongue scrapers sold by some oral product manufacturers. This is typically a small, plastic handle with a mild edge on one side. You should work from front to back when using this product, making multiple overlapping sweeps. If you notice a buildup of material on the blade edge, you should rinse it off before making another pass over your tongue.

You can then rinse your mouth with antiseptic mouthwash. This will help wash away lingering bacteria and freshen your breath.

If you live in the Lee’s Summit, Missouri, area and you have bad breath or other oral hygiene issues, you should call 816-287-5650 to schedule a checkup with Dr. Jaclyn Turnbow at Summit Village Dental.