Why Should You Maintain Good Oral Hygiene?

Oral hygiene is one of the key necessities nowadays as far as one’s overall health is considered. Not having good dental hygiene can lead to the person getting affected with various types of dental infections such as gum disease and tooth decay etc. Tooth decay should not be ignored since the damage beyond the point of repair can lead to the extraction of a tooth to save the infection from spreading further. Following good oral habits such as brushing and flossing has become a necessity rather than a choice. Even though we feel our teeth and gums are clean and healthy, it may not necessarily be so. We realize it only when we visit a dentist in Scottsdale as part of a regular dental checkup. 

 

Significance of a dental checkup

Dental checkups keep your teeth and gums healthy but also helps dentists to identify any future dental problems that may arise in you. During the dental checkup, the dentist will have an initial consultation with the patient. They will ask for patient history and detailed information about any medications the patient might be taking. They will perform a detailed oral examination including whether the patient has tooth decay. Professional teeth cleaning will be performed. A deep cleaning may be done to remove plaque and tartar accumulated within the teeth and gum line. The Scottsdale dentist will also guide you about the tips you have to follow to keep your teeth and gums healthy.

 

Brushing and Flossing

Most of us are fond of brushing. But not everyone performs flossing. Flossing is also as important as brushing your teeth. Ensure that you make use of a dentist-recommended toothbrush and toothpaste. The toothbrush should have soft bristles. At the same time, it should be strong enough to remove the plaque in the teeth. Flossing removes food particles stuck within the areas where the bristles of a toothbrush fail to reach. Flossing helps keep bacteria from accumulating in hard-to-reach areas by removing the food particles. The dentist in Scottsdale will make you understand how flossing has to be done properly. 

 

Apart from brushing, flossing, and regular dental visits, a person should also clean their tongue regularly. It helps remove the plaque accumulated in the tongue. Schedule an appointment with your nearest dentist in Scottsdale if you have tooth decay or bad breath.  

Tongue Cleaning – Effective Way To Avoid Bad Breath

The human mouth is known to be brimming with germs – roughly 20 billion at any given moment. Many oral disorders, such as gum disease, dental cavities, and poor breath, are caused by these microbes. Dentists recommend brushing and flossing twice a day to avoid these problems. Though a large section of people practices good oral hygiene, the tongue is sometimes overlooked. Which itself is unexpected given that it contains millions of dead cells and bacteria that cause odors. In case you brush, floss, and rinse your teeth every day and still have terrible breath, it’s possible that you’re not cleaning your tongue properly.

In this blog, the best dentist in Scottsdale is going to discuss the importance of tongue cleaning in the wellness of your oral health. So why wait anymore? Let us delve deeper into the topic without any further delay.

What Is The Need For Tongue Cleaning?

In 85 percent of cases, the source of foul breath (or halitosis) occurs inside the mouth, and also the tongue is the most common source of bad smell. Bacteria accumulate on the tongue and create hydrogen sulfide and mercaptans unless it is cleansed. These are the substances that cause a bad odor in your mouth.

Furthermore, germs on your tongue can produce white discoloration and can resurface on your teeth and gums after they’ve been cleansed. Plaque build-up and, as a result, cavities and gum disease become more likely. Keep in mind that your tongue is an important element of your body. It aids in the tasting of food, speaking, swallowing, and other functions. If you don’t clean your tongue regularly, it might become embarrassing.

What Is Most Effective – Tongue Scraping Or Tongue Brushing?

Cleaning your tongue with a brush or a scraper is the most common method. Are they, however, equally effective? Let’s have a look. You’ll notice that the surface of your tongue isn’t smooth if you feel it. The tongue features several little bumps called papillae that form fissures and elevations. Dead skin cells, food particles, and bacteria can all hide in this region.

The hard edges of a tongue scraper scrape away the upper layers of detritus. A scraper, on the other hand, is unable to reach microorganisms hiding in crevices. Even if you scrape your tongue with a scraper every day, only the bacteria’s uppermost cells are removed.

A tongue brush, whereas, has soft bristles which can move between the papillae and simply press debris towards the surface, cleaning it out. This increases the effectiveness of a tongue brush in cleansing the tongue.

Final Words

Keeping your mouth (more specifically tongue) is not just important to resolve the problem of bad breath. You need to realize that your oral health is directly linked to your overall health. Therefore, the unusual growth of harmful bacteria on your tongue can be the reason for the greater worry! 

Consult us at Belmont Dentistry, if you have any further queries related to this topic. We also offer top-quality dental care in Scottsdale, AZ, and nearby. Hence, get the best by your side to achieve a perfect and healthy grin.