3 Things You Should Know About Your Tongue

Do you feel like you’re something of a master when it comes to your preventive care regarding your teeth and gums? How about your tongue? Do you know much about taking care of your tongue, protecting it, or what it means if it takes on a somewhat different appearance? Don’t worry – these details are extremely easy to become familiar with, so allow us to enlighten you just a bit.

#1: It Needs Cleaning

Part of your preventive care at home simply needs to include brushing your tongue. If you avoid this, bacteria will continue to accumulate (similar to the way they build up on your teeth). Wait too long and bad breath will occur.

#2: It Can Change Colors

When all is well, your tongue will display a light pinkish color. Sometimes, your tongue will suddenly look like a different color, such as bright red or white. This is generally the result of minor issues like a need for more vitamins or the buildup of bacteria. However, just to make sure your oral health is in good shape (and to receive advice), we encourage you to schedule time to see us.

#3: It Can Become Damaged

You might think to yourself that your tongue is immune to damage, since it’s in your mouth and immediately adjacent to your extremely strong and often sharp teeth. The truth is, your tongue does heal quite well (as you may have noticed after you bite it on accident). However, after repeated force and damage, injury can become long lasting. For instance, bruxism can lead to a scalloped texture around its border. Want to protect your tongue? Visit us for preventive care visits regularly.