During this time, oral health problems just focus on just the teeth and gums. In fact, cleaning the tongue also has big contribution to keep your mouth stay healthy.
The tongue is an important part of the mouth, so you should not forget to always brush your teeth cleaned every time. Here are four things you should know about the health of the tongue:
1. The tongue should be cleaned
If the note, the tongue's surface actually has little bumps, called papillae. Surface of the tongue is where the harbor bacteria. a study from the University of Michigan School of Medicine found that about a third species of bacteria found on the tongue will not develop in other parts of the mouth (to be settled on the tongue).
Germs are stuck on the tongue can cause bad breath and affect the sense of taste. Excessive growth of bacteria on the tongue can turn your tongue yellow, white or even black and look hairy.
Get used to clean the tongue every time you brush your teeth. You can use a tongue scraper, a small tool designed to scrape the tongue. If you do not have a special cleaning tool, you can also use a toothbrush.
2. Deserve some extra care
The tongue is rarely cleaned in time they will begin to thicken and harden. You have to be careful when going to overcome it, because it is not likely to damage the tissues of the tongue. You can protect the tongue by giving moisturizing mouth spray or gel and wait 10 to 15 minutes, and then brush it.
3. The tongue can be affected by cancer
Based on WHO's cancer research data (GLOBOCAN 2008), oral cancer is a type of cancer most commonly affects men in Southeast Asia after lung cancer. Case numbers are relatively high because it is difficult to detect oral cancer development. Therefore, experts recommend to do the screening or oral health examination once a week (if aged over 40 years).
Check your tongue in the mirror and see the surrounding conditions. Check the bottom, top and sides. Look for any changes in the skin of the tongue, sores, white patches or red that do not heal after a week or two.
4. Tongue piercing will hurt your mouth
The oral health experts said the risk of infection due to a higher tongue piercings than tattoos. Researchers groundless because basically someone's mouth is full of bacteria, and when coupled with a metal jewelry in the tongue, will add damage to teeth and gums. Even the tongue piercing procedure itself (piercing) is known to be damaging the nerves and disrupt the sense of taste.
