Geographic Tongue sounds like the name of an alternative rock band.  Actually it simply means a tongue that has lots of grooves and fissures in it.  This “geography” gives lots of hiding places for anaerobic bacteria to live and breed.  These bacteria cause bad breath.  A geographic tongue does not mean something is wrong with your tongue, it simply means your body is shaped that way.

People who have a geographic tongue may notice that their tongue is sometimes a different color – white, yellow or even black.  The way around the problem of bad breath and a funny colored tongue is simple – keep your tongue as clean as possible.

Most patients brush their teeth, floss and they are done.  But tongue scraping or cleaning is a process that the majority of people in the United States don’t do on a daily basis but it is vital to keeping your breath fresh.   You don’t need an expensive piece of plastic or special mouth rinses, all you really need is a simple tongue scraper (inexpensively purchased at your neighborhood drug store) .

Starting at the base of your tongue scrape in slow, sweeping strokes from back to front.  You don’t have to press hard, but use several strokes to cover your whole tongue.  Following this you can also spread a small dot of toothpaste on your tongue.  Hold it there while you brush your teeth and then spit – don’t swallow the toothpaste.

Make tongue cleaning a regular part of your daily dental cleaning routine and enjoy fresher breath and a healthier mouth.  For more information on geographic tongue and halitosis in the Columbus, Ohio area please contact Dr. Levy at 614-454-3488 today to schedule a consultation to discuss your dental concerns.