People have understood the benefits of tongue scraping for thousands of years. It has its origins in Ayurveda, the traditional system of medicine from Ancient India, which posited that the practice removed toxins from the body to promote overall well-being. Originally, tongue scrapers were crafted from thin strips of wood, animal bones, or even shells.

Most modern tongue-scraping instruments are fashioned out of stainless steel, copper, or plastic. They’re used to remove bacteria, food debris, dead cells, and other harmful substances from the surface of the tongue.

Adding tongue scraping to your at-home dental hygiene routine is a great oral hygiene tip, recommended by the dentists at Oakville Place Dental. It can help improve bad breath and reduce your risk of tooth decay and other oral health conditions. So, while tongue scraping is not a replacement for toothbrushing, it does go well with regular brushing and professional dental care.

Why Tongue Scraping Is Important

Our mouths are naturally full of bacteria. During the day, oral bacteria are kept in check by natural processes like saliva and healthy habits like drinking enough water. Saliva secretion drops when you sleep, and you’re definitely not drinking any water during this time. This gives oral bacteria plenty of time to multiply.

This is why you need to brush your teeth every morning. Your toothbrush scrubs away the oral bacteria, food particles, dead cells, and plaque that accumulated on your teeth and along your gum line overnight. It’s also why you’ve probably heard that you should brush your tongue, too.

Tongue scraping is like tooth brushing for your tongue. It scrapes away those harmful particles first thing in the morning, before they can wreak havoc on your teeth or be absorbed into your body. Oral bacteria are responsible for causing tooth decay, bad breath, and gingivitis. It can also attack your immune system.

Your morning oral hygiene routine should include brushing your teeth and scraping your tongue. Research shows that these two combined are more effective than brushing alone for combating bad breath, cavities, and other oral health problems. 

6 Benefits of Tongue Scraping

1. Removes bacteria: As we already covered, oral bacteria can be a real problem. Some of the microbes in your mouth are helpful, but others cause tooth decay, gum disease, and plaque buildup, like Mutans streptococci and Lactobacilli, for instance! We know that these two are responsible for bad breath and cavities.

   Tongue scraping removes the outer layer of bacteria from the tongue without hurting the cells underneath. It’s very effective. When done in conjunction with brushing and flossing, you can clear away a significant amount of harmful bacteria.

2. Protects against tooth decay: When oral bacteria, food particles, lingering sugars, and plaque are not removed, they create a slew of oral health issues, such as tooth decay. How? Bacteria feed on food debris, sugars, and other small particles. It produces an acidic oral environment that attacks tooth enamel and leads to cavities.

   Oral bacteria accumulate on the tongue. You can easily miss it while brushing, which is why you should use a tongue scraper.

3. Reduces bad breath: No one likes to have bad breath. It’s embarrassing and can be annoyingly difficult to get rid of. Tongue scraping can help.

   Bad breath (also known as halitosis) is a result of odour-causing bacteria in the mouth. Much of the bacteria lives on the tongue, so brushing alone does not remove it entirely. Scraping removes the dead cells, bacteria, and debris on your tongue, leaving your breath far fresher.

4. Improves overall health. Oral bacteria don’t always stay in the mouth. It can enter your body, potentially leading to other health issues like heart disease. By scraping your tongue, you’re removing bacteria from the mouth before it can spread. This helps boost your body’s overall immunity.

   Even when harmful oral bacteria don’t leave your mouth, they still affect your gums and teeth, which is also not good!

5. Better sense of taste. Scraping your tongue twice a day can actually improve your sense of taste. It stimulates the taste buds, refreshing your palate. You’ll be able to notice stronger flavours and better differentiate between sweet, sour, salty, and bitter sensations.
6. Makes your tongue look better. As bacteria and other particles accumulate on your tongue, it can take on a whitish, coated appearance. Daily scraping removes this coating, so your tongue looks like it’s supposed to.

Practicing Tongue Scraping

Tongue scraping is very beneficial for your oral health, especially if you do it correctly! Proper technique is very important for maximum benefit. When done properly, tongue scraping protects the mouth against tooth decay, gingivitis, and infections. It also helps improve bad breath by eliminating odour-causing compounds.

How to Use a Tongue Scraper

Adding tongue scraping to your oral care routine is easy and takes less than 2 minutes. Just follow this simple steps:

1. Open your mouth and stick your tongue out.
2. Lay your tongue scraper on the back of your tongue as far as you can. If you’re worried about gagging, start from the middle. As you get used to scraping, you’ll be able to start farther and farther back.
3. Pull it forward slowly to gently collect bacteria, saliva, and other debris on your tongue. Never push the scraper from the tip of your tongue to the back of your mouth. Always go back to front!
4. Rinse the scraping instrument under warm water to remove debris.
5. Repeat the process 5 to 8 times. Alternate the position of the instrument from the right side, left side, and far back of the tongue. Make sure you scrape the entire surface of your tongue.
6. When you’re done, wash the tongue scraper with warm water and soap. Store it in a clean, dry area.
7. Wash your mouth a few times with lukewarm water and spit into the sink. Repeat this 3 times. This removes loosened particles that weren’t removed by the tongue scraper. You can also use mouthwash for this step.

Conclusion

Tongue scraping should be done by everyone. Your dentist may notice some problems during your routine examination and tooth cleaning, thus recommending tongue scraping to manage the symptoms. For instance, smokers and people with bad breath (halitosis), those suffering from fungal growth (brown hairy tongue), and people who consume pungent or strongly odoured foods can benefit greatly from tongue scraping. 

Please visit Oakville Place Dental to learn more about tongue scraping and how it can help to enhance your oral health.