For many people, oral hygiene is a top concern because who wants to have bad breath? If you are someone who values great breath, you have a good dental hygiene routine going already. Common practice includes brushing your teeth twice a day, regular flossing, and drinking plenty of water.
Have you considered taking it a step further and using a tongue scraper? Tongue scraping has been around for eons and is considered a good way to lower plaque and bacteria in the mouth cavity.
What is tongue scraping?
Your tongue tends to harbor quite a bit of bacteria- some of it is good and essential for overall oral health, but some of it is bad. Bad bacteria in the mouth is responsible for not only bad breath but also for recurrent oral infections, dulled taste buds, tooth decay, and the white patches or film that usually form on the tongue.
Brushing the tongue is one possible solution for removing bad bacteria from the tongue, and you probably already do it. However, a good tongue scraper is designed to be more thorough and remove small food particles, debris, and bacteria.
How does a tongue scraper work?
To use a tongue scraper, run it with light pressure from the back of the tongue to the front, rinsing with warm water in between runs. Repeat once or twice, and then rinse out your mouth with water. Rinse the scraper before storage, and voila! A clean and healthy mouth.
For good strong teeth, do this about twice a day as part of your oral hygiene.
How is scraping helpful?
Fresher breath for starters
Don’t pretend that this alone isn’t a good enough reason because you have probably come across someone with horrible breath. It is so unpleasant, and if they are talking directly to you, the discomfort is even more apparent.
Enhanced taste
The build-up of debris on the tongue tends to interfere with our sense of taste and using a tongue scraper to remove it can greatly enhance how we taste things.
Less oral infections
If you’re prone to gum disease, mouth sores, and other mouth infections, bad bacteria is the likely culprit. Scraping your tongue removes the excess bad bacteria and enhances your oral health.
Healthier teeth
Removing the bacteria from your tongue will reduce the amount of tooth decay you would otherwise be subject to.
Improves your overall health
Normally, infections in the mouth can lead to more serious health consequences like gingivitis. By scraping your tongue, you reduce the susceptibility to oral diseases and boost your immunity.
Are there any side effects to tongue scraping?
If you’re new to scraping, you might get a gag reflex because scraping starts at the back of the tongue. To ease this, do not go too far back as you start. Gently work your way further each time as you get used to it.
Using too much pressure when scraping can lead to injury. The simple solution is to use light pressure- Your tongue is a soft organ. It deserves soft treatment.
As you embark on your oral hygiene journey, remember that tongue scraping is not an alternative to good dental hygiene. Take good care of your mouth, and your mouth will take care of you.
