Share:

As a parent, it is important to establish strong dental hygiene practices with your child. These practices set the foundation for your child’s oral health and help create dental care habits that last a lifetime. Brushing twice a day, flossing daily, and visiting the dentist twice a year are all important steps in creating these habits. However, one practice which should not be ignored is tongue scraping. The team from Pedodontic Associates, a clinic in Hawaii which specializes in dentistry for children, recommends beginning to scrape your child’s tongue at age eight.

How Tongue Scraping Is an Essential Step in Basic Dentistry for Children

1. Eliminates Bad Breath

If your child has unpleasant breath, even after brushing and flossing, scraping their tongue can help. The tongue is a breeding ground for the bacteria found in saliva as well as foods and beverages. These bacteria can linger and reproduce, causing an unpleasant odor. Scraping your child’s tongue helps effectively remove and eliminate these bacteria and improve their breath.

2. Gets Rid of Plaque

dentistry for childrenJust as plaque builds on the surface of teeth, it can collect on the surface of the tongue as well. This is especially likely if your child does not drink enough water or consume enough moisture-rich fruits and vegetables. Over time, the plaque from their tongue can move to the teeth and gums, causing cavities and tooth decay. Obtaining a child-sized tongue scraper from an office that specializes in dentistry for children will help remove this plaque and improve your child’s oral health.

3. Improves Tasting Ability

Pediatric dentists also note that scraping your child’s tongue may help to improve their eating experience. After eating, the oils and juices from the foods you consume can linger on the tongue. This impacts how your child experiences taste and the flavors they receive from foods like vegetables. Keeping their tongue clean will help eliminate these lingering flavors and allow them to have a better eating experience.

It’s never too early to teach your child the importance of tongue scraping to their oral health. For more information on tongue scraping and other pediatric dentistry tips, contact Pedodontic Associates. With offices in Honolulu, Aiea, and Kahului, HI, these experts specialize in all forms of dentistry for children. For a complete list of services, visit their website today. To schedule an appointment, call (808) 735-1733 for service in Honolulu, (808) 487-7933 for their Aiea location, and (808) 877-0066 to be connected to their Kahului office.

tracking