How To Clean And Avoid White Tongue

Photo credit - diseasespictures.com

Here is an average tongue cleaning from start to finish from one of my patients who volunteered to allow me to take his picture.

1. Starting at the very base of your tongue, place the tongue cleaner flush against your tongue's surface and make slow sweeping strokes from back-to-front. Start at either side (left or right) and work your way to the other. Depending on the tongue cleaner you are using, you might need to make 3-4 different 'swaths' across your tongue.
   
   
2. Once the surface debris from your tongue has been removed, apply a small bead of oxygenating toothpaste to the head of your tongue cleaner.
   
   
3. Gently coat the surface of your tongue (as far back as possible without gagging) with the toothpaste. This allows it to penetrate below the surface of your tongue to neutralize those sulfur-producing anaerobic bacteria! There are more bacteria in the rear of your tongue than in the front.
   
   
4. Once your tongue is coated, allow the toothpaste to stay on the surface of your tongue as long as you can, up to 90 seconds is ideal. If you begin to cough, or your gag reflex kicks in, it's alright to spit it out whenever you need to.
   
   
5. Ideally, it's best to leave the toothpaste on the surface of your tongue, while you brush your teeth normally.