You brush your teeth several times a day, but do you also think about cleaning your tongue too? On TikTok – often a precursor to improbable and sometimes dangerous tricks – the hashtag “tongue scraping” either scraping the tongue a racked up over 113 million views. It would be an essential element of dental hygiene and would make it possible to eliminate bad breath. Real efficiency or simple trend?
“Tongue scraping involves using a scraping tool to remove a coating or residue that builds up on the tongue over time.Dr. Reena Wadia told Stylist.
“The tongue is made up of many crypts, fissures and irregular surfaces, so it is an ideal site for the growth of insects and bacteria.”, she continues. We could indeed have more 20 billion bacteria in the mouth at any time. And while some of these bacteria are essential for good oral health and good dental hygiene, some can cause bad odors and therefore bad breath.
Indeed, the two main causes of halitosis are tongue coating and gum disease. Using the toothbrush only moves the bacteria from the teeth to the tongue and simple mouthwash is not enough to physically remove the coating from the tongue. “The tongue is like a carpet, it must be cleaned regularly […] If you neglect tongue scraping, you may experience a buildup of excess debris that can make your tongue look white and coated..”
Elimination of toxins, improvement of taste
THE tongue scraping is actually an ancient Ayurvedic ritual that helps eliminate toxins which accumulate on the tongue and thus avoid swallowing them. This innocuous everyday gesture would even sharpen the taste buds. “Research suggests that using a tongue scraper twice a day may improve your sense of taste.” and thus better distinguish between bitter, sweet, salty and acid sensations adds Dr. Wadia.
How is a tongue scraper used? Before you begin, rinse out the scraper, open your mouth, and stick your tongue out as far as you can (this will give better access to the back part of your tongue and promote scraping).
Hold the scraper firmly and make slow, smooth movements as you pull the scraper from back to front.
Rinse it to remove the first residue, then repeat the movement four to eight times, which should be enough for the day. After scraping is complete, clean the scraper. It must be disinfected regularly with boiling water regularly in order to be preserved for the long term.
