Can Plaque Form On Your Tongue?
If you regularly visit a dentist for cleanings and exams, you are probably very familiar with the term, "plaque." Plaque is something that dentists consider an enemy of teeth, and it is something you should aim to remove from your teeth every day. Even if you have good brushing habits, you might still struggle with plaque on your teeth, though, and part of this reason could be due to the way plaque forms on your tongue.
How plaque forms on the tongue
Plaque is something most people fight against daily, as it is something that naturally develops on teeth from the foods people eat, but most people are not aware that plaque also forms on the tongue. Plaque forms on the tongue in the same way it forms on teeth. It comes from foods you eat and lives on bacteria that is present in your mouth. If you like brushing your teeth to remove the plaque they contain but fail to brush your tongue, you might be leaving your mouth exposed to problems.
The risks of having plaque on your tongue
Plaque on the tongue is slightly different than plaque on teeth, and this is because the tongue can hide the plaque a little easier as it contains grooves and crevices. There are several risks you are exposing yourself to, though, if you do not clean your tongue properly to remove the plaque. The first risk is bad breath. Plaque causes bad breath, and the best way to treat this problem is by removing the plaque. Secondly, plaque on your tongue will transfer over to your teeth. This means that if you brush your teeth and are thinking you have removed all the plaque, you might have more plaque on them simply because it spread from your tongue to your teeth.
What you can do to stop this problem
The best thing you can do is learn how to properly clean your tongue and then clean it every single day. You can clean it with one of two methods. The first method is by using your toothbrush to brush it, and you could do this each time you brush your teeth. The second method is by scraping your tongue off with a tongue scraper, which is a device you can buy at most stores.
Plaque will destroy your teeth if you do not remove it quickly, and that is why you should always brush your tongue when brushing your teeth. If you have questions about this, talk to a dental clinic today.