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Most of us don’t spend undue time worrying about the state of our tongue, unless we happen to bite it and get a sore spot. However, brushing your tongue is just as important as brushing your teeth if you want to rid your mouth of leftover food particles and bacteria that can lead to tooth decay, gum disease, and other oral health issues.
In fact, a failure to brush your tongue adequately as part of your daily dental hygiene regimen can lead to some pretty awful and totally odd results you might never expect. Here are just a few of the strangest things that might happen if you don’t brush your tongue.
1. Dulled sense of taste
What will happen if you fail to clean your body? You’ll soon be caked in personal products, environmental pollutants, and dead skin cells. Gross, right? The same basic principle applies to your tongue.
When you don’t brush your tongue after meals, food particles and bacteria can linger and begin to build up, along with dead skin cells, forming a yucky biofilm on your tongue. With all that going on, it’s no wonder your favorite dishes don’t taste quite as flavorful as before.
2. Giraffe tongue
If you opened your mouth one day to find the appearance of your tongue black and somewhat furry, you might be understandably concerned, and totally repulsed. Black hairy tongue is a condition that can occur when leftover food stains the papillae on your tongue, turning it dark brown or black. Luckily, it’s not actually harmful, and a good brushing or two should get rid of it.
3. Yeast infection
We all have yeast in our bodies, and when our systems are in balance, this isn’t a problem. However, if you fail to brush your tongue and bacteria levels go crazy as a result, you could also experience fluctuation in levels of yeast as a result, leading to white spots on your tongue and a yeast infection known as thrush.
4. Periodontal disease
Okay, this isn’t really that big of a surprise once you realize a failure to brush your tongue can lead to out-of-control bacterial growth in your mouth. You might think brushing your teeth is enough, but bacteria lingering on your tongue can not only cause bad breath, but also spread to your teeth and gums, leading to infections, tooth decay, gum disease, periodontal disease, and even tooth loss. If you’re not sure how to go about cleaning your tongue properly, simply ask your dentist for a demo.
