The 4 Rs to a Cleaner Tongue
Have a hard time socializing because of your bad breath? Put the breath mints down and lay off the chewing gum: all you really need is a daily tongue cleaning routine. A cleaner tongue will give your mouth the freshness it needs to sweeten your conversations and boost your confidence. Here are the 4 Rs to a Cleaner Tongue:
- Recognize
- Rub
- Rinse
- Repeat
The first step to righting any problem is by understanding where it stems from. The same goes for bad breath issues. Your tongue is home to many grooves, ridges, and rough patches that are prone to bacteria accumulation. Bacteria lead to a foul-smelling, sometimes even rancid-tasting problem that can leave you with a dirty tongue and smelly breath.
Once you understand your bad breath problem is coming from your tongue, you’ll see how easy it is to fix.
In order to rub or scrape your tongue clean, you’ll need to have a tongue cleaning tool handy. Easy to find (grocery stores or online) and easier to use, tongue cleaning tools will gently wash the bacteria away and leave your tongue clean and fresh.
For the freshest breath all day long, start in the morning by scraping from the root of your tongue (the back) to the tip several times in a row. You may have to clean the tool a number of times (depending on how much residue it accumulates).
After you’ve scraped your tongue clean, gargle water or mouthwash in order to properly rinse your mouth. Rinsing is an important step: it will rid your mouth of any loose residue. Without residue, your mouth will smell fresh from morning to night.
If you want fresh breath on a daily basis, cleaning your tongue should be a daily occurrence. Some people claim it takes 21 days to form a habit, but when it comes to keeping your tongue clean, you’ll need to pass through the three phases of habit formation: honeymoon, fight thru, and finally, second nature.
You are bound to notice a difference the first day you clean your tongue. You’ll fall in love with the idea of fresh breath and easy conversations. This is the “honeymoon” phase.
As your inspiration starts fading and the reality of needing to spend time cleaning your tongue daily, you’ll begin the “fight thru” stage of habit. Don’t give up when you get bored or busy, fight thru the obstacles and your tongue will thank you for it.
Once you’ve passed through the “honeymoon” and “fight thru” stages, you’ll see that cleaning your tongue on a daily basis has become second nature. You’ll let no discouragement or disruption get in the way of a clean tongue and a fresh-scented mouth. Though it’s the last step, repeating your tongue cleaning process is vital to your oral hygiene success.
Take the time and integrate the 4 Rs to a Cleaner Tongue if you want to save on breath mints and chewing gum, get to the root of the problem and start cleaning your tongue today. Browse around our site (http://dentrixdentalcare.com/) to discover more ways you can have a healthier mouth and smile.