How Tongues Contribute To Bad Breath

Even when you brush and floss the recommended two times per day, and maybe even after lunch, you may still experience persistent bad breath. This is often due to lingering bacteria on the tongue that didn’t get brushed away. Therefore, it’s essential to clean your tongue sufficiently each time you brush your teeth. However, if you feel that you routinely give your tongue a thorough cleaning and you still have bad breath, white-coated tongue may be the culprit.

What Is White-Coated Tongue?


If you stick out your tongue in front of a mirror and see a white coating over it, this could mean one of two things. Either you simply aren’t cleaning your tongue well enough on a daily basis, or you have a chronic condition called candidiasis, also known as white-coated tongue or oral thrush. Other symptoms of this condition are a sticky feeling in your mouth, a white coating over the back of the throat, and persistent bad breath.

Because this is a coating of bacteria and a fungus known as candida, it’s no surprise that bad breath is associated with white-coated tongue. If left untreated, coated tongue can lead to other oral health issues, such as tooth decay and unhealthy gums. Oral thrush can also be a side effect of other serious health conditions like HIV and diabetes. Therefore, if these conditions go untreated, candida can spread to the roof of your mouth, inner cheeks, and may exist in other areas of your body. Eating probiotic foods like yogurt daily can help curb the symptoms of coated tongue. However, if your bad breath is simply a matter of neglecting to clean your tongue when you brush and floss, then improving your personal oral hygiene will probably reduce your bad breath. It’s also important to keep up with regular cleanings in our office so call us today to schedule your next visit.