Tongue Scraping: the 411

Tongue scraping is something we have been practicing for years and has many benefits. We thought it was time to make it official and tell you all about it! Tongue scraping is an ancient Ayurvedic daily practice for oral health, as well as overall physical and mental health.

Maintaining proper mouth health is important to overall well- being and tongue scraping is a fast way to remove extra particles, including the ones that cause bad breath, from the surface of your tongue. It’s done with a small, slightly rounded tool made from plastic or metal. We prefer copper as our choice of material because of its natural antibacterial properties.

Tongue scraping should be done after brushing your teeth, morning and night and takes all of 15 seconds so it’s an easy step to add into your oral care routine.

Debris, bacteria, and dead cells can build up on your tongue over time. This can lead to bad breath and have an impact on your overall oral health.

Here are some of the other benefits of tongue scraping.

Improve your sense of taste- using a tongue scraper twice daily can improve your sense of taste. Your tongue may be able to better distinguish between bitter, sweet, salty, and sour sensations.

Improve the appearance of your tongue- Buildup of excess debris can cause your tongue to take on a white, coated appearance. Daily scraping can remove this coating and prevent it from returning.

Remove bacteria- Researchers found that using a tongue scraper twice a day for seven days reduced the overall incidence of Mutans streptococci and Lactobacilli bacteria in the mouth. These bacteria types are known to cause bad breath and tooth decay.

Improve overall health- Removing bacteria is key to preventing cavities, gum disease, and other conditions affecting the mouth. Tongue scraping can help these bacteria from the mouth, improving your tongue’s appearance and overall sensation.

Reduce bad breath. Although tongue scraping can’t replace brushing your teeth, scraping may do some things better. Researchers in one 2004 study found that scraping was more effective than brushing at removing odor-causing bacteria.

Using a tongue scraper is really easy, you simply glide it from the back of your tongue to the front a few times after brushing, rinse and enjoy fresh breath!