You really should add tongue scraping to your oral care routine.
5 Reason Why You Should Add Tongue Scraping To Your Oral Care Routine
Tongue scraping is an oral care practice that removes food debris, bacteria, fungi, toxins, and dead cells from the surface of your tongue.
Tongue scraping has been around for eons. It is an Ayurvedic self-care practice dating back to ancient times in India. It has been gaining a lot of attention recently in the western world, as scientific research is beginning to support this ancient method of self-care.
Now, we know what you’re probably thinking “please not another step to add to my oral care routine – brush, floss, rinse, now tongue scraping! C’mon!”
We hear you, loud and clear! And if you are consistent with the brush, floss, rinse routine then we couldn’t be prouder of you! But if you want to take your oral hygiene to a whole new level then we want to inform you of an easy and quick way you can, yes, by tongue scraping.
Since the oral cavity is a major gateway between your body and the environment, maintaining the health and hygiene of this area is crucial not just for oral health but also your overall health.
Here are 5 reasons why you might consider adopting this simple step into your morning and evening routine.
- You Want To Actually Taste All The Flavors of The Food That You Eat
Maybe it’s not until you have a cold that you really miss and appreciate your taste buds. Everything literally loses its flavor. Life becomes a little duller.
In a similar way, this can happen when toxins that you breathe in through the day build-up on the surface of your tongue, blocking pores and your ability to recognize the taste of food. By removing the toxins you unblock the pores that will, in turn, allow you to fully taste the food you consume.
- You’re Hell-Bent on Avoiding Cavities And You Will Stop at Nothing
By regularly scraping your tongue you remove the bacteria and toxins that are responsible for plaque. You, in turn, reduce the build-up of plaque and without plaque to feed-off, cavities, decay, and gum disease don’t have a leg to stand on.
- You Fear Breathing Bad Breath All Over Your Partner (Mood-Killer)
Stick your tongue out in front of a mirror. Look at the very back, is it a different color to the front of your tongue? Majority of bad breath (Halitosis) comes from what is lurking at the back, hard to reach places on your tongue. Food, bacteria, fungi, and dead cells like to build up in this area of your tongue causing that foul smell when you talk. A standard toothbrush cannot reach this far back but a tongue scraper can, eliminating this bad odor from the deep crevices of your mouth.
- You Seem To Catch Every Bug or Virus During Winter
Your body is constantly exposed to toxins and bacteria throughout the day. You can’t help but breath in these toxins and bacteria. Your tongue acts like a line of defense for your immune system. To a degree, it can decide what is absorbed into the body and what is expelled. By regularly scraping your tongue, you remove these bad toxins from being reabsorbed into your immune system, therefore, keeping it strong.
- You’re Tired of Your Digestive System Being Your Boss
Do you feel like your digestive system rules the roost at times? Tongue scraping can help you to digest food more readily. When you eat, your salivary glands switch on, communicating to your digestive system that food is on its way and it needs to prepare itself to do its job.
When our taste buds are clear and unblocked they are ready to assist the channel of communication from your mouth to your gut. This strong communication means your gut is ready to absorb nutrients and eliminate waste and toxins from your body.
So What Do You Need And How Do You Start?
The first (and obvious) step is to go and buy a tongue scraper. You can find them at most health food stores or online. They are thin and flat and are the shape of a “U”. Make sure you buy a good quality one made of metal, not plastic as it can be cleaned easier.
It is true you could use a toothbrush or spoon to do a similar job, however, these tools cannot reach as far back into the tongue and have been proven to be less effective.
This routine should be done daily, preferably in the morning and before you eat.
Here’s what to do:
- Stand in front of a mirror and stick your tongue out as far as you can.
- Hold each side of the tongue scraper in each hand
- Place the end of the scraper as far back on the tongue as you can (this may elicit the gag reflex, so start midway and work your way back if you need to).
- Breathe in and as you breathe out gently move the scraper down to the tip of your tongue
- Rinse the debris with water
- Repeat steps 1-5 seven to fourteen times until the tongue looks clean.
It’s as simple as that!
As we have seen in this blog there are good reasons why this ancient technique has stood the test of time. It is an easy, simple way to assist your oral health and overall health. If you feel you would benefit from giving tongue scrapping a shot we highly recommend to you to give it a go.
