Tongue Scrapping: How To Do It The Best Way?

By Dr. Ritu Kumari Gupta on June 8, 2022

How To Do It The Best Way Tongue Scrapping

Even if you brush your teeth two times in a day, floss regularly and visit your dentist in every few months still if you do not practice tongue scraping you are missing one of the most important step of mouth cleaning.

How To Do It The Best Way

Our tongue helps us to chew, swallow and speak. The tiny bumps on the tongue known as papillae help to feel the texture in mouth and taste. Nevertheless, your tongue also harbours bacteria. Although most of the bacteria present on our tongue are good bacteria that aids digestion and maintain the healthy pH in our mouth, there are also bacteria that cause tooth decay, gum infection and bad breath. This is why, scrapping your tongue is one of the most important mouth cleaning routine to check the accumulation of the bad bacteria, food debris and dead cells on the tongue.

What Are The Benefits Of Tongue Scraping

Taking care of your tongue is beneficial for oral and all over health. Not only tongue scraping removes the build-up on the tongue that may have negative impact on your all over health but it also:

What Are The Benefits Of Tongue Scraping

Improves the taste –

Practising tongue scraping 2 times in a day improves the sense of taste. Your clean tongue is better able to distinguish between sweet, bitter, sour and salty sensations.

Improves the appearance of tongue –

Dead cells, bacteria and debris when buildup on your tongue over the time causes your tongue to appear white or coated. Daily tongue scraping removes this coat and prevents the re-appearance.

Remove bad breath causing bacteria –

Research shows that using tongue scraper two times in a day for a week reduces the incidence of lactobacilli and Mutans streptococcus bacteria in the mouth that are responsible for causing dental decay and bad breath.

Improves all over health –

Removing bad bacteria present on tongue prevents diseases, cavities and other conditions that affects mouth. Research has shown if oral hygiene is a good it leads to issues such as heart diseases and many more. This is why scrapping your tongue is very important to remove the harmful bacteria out of your system.

How to Perform Tongue Scraping the Best Way?

First of all to perform tongue scraping you need the right tool i.e. a tongue scraper. Tongue scrappers are usually made up of copper, plastic and stainless steel. Mostly they have round shape. If you do not have a tongue scraper a spoon or your toothbrush will also so do the same but they do not remove bad odour causing bacteria as dedicatedly as tongue scraper. Below are the steps to perform tongue scraping.

Stand in the front of a mirror and open your mouth to stick out your tongue. Set the rounded end of the tongue scraper at the back of your tongue. In the beginning, you may find yourself gagging but soon you become used to it. Now gently touch the scrapper to your tongue and pull it forward towards the tip of your tongue slowly. Never push the scraper from the tip of your tongue to back or it will push the dead cell debris and bacteria inside. After each scrap wash your mouth or you may use the tissue or a washcloth to remove the debris. Repeat a few time to scrap the entire surface of the tongue. After tongue scraping wash the tongue scrapper with warm water, then dry, and store it in a dry and clean area. The whole process takes less than 2 minutes. You may repeat it two time or more in a day.

Concerns related to tongue scraping

The biggest concern related to tongue scrapping is stimulation of the gag reflex that may make you to vomit. To avoid this tongue scrapping is recommended to perform in morning empty stomach. In addition refrain yourself from placing the tongue scrapper too back on the tongue. If you are a beginner start with scrapping from the middle of your tongue to the tip and then gradually take father back as you get used to scrapping. To prevent getting the surface of your tongue cut by the tongue scrapper, make sure that your tongue scraper do not have any rough or uneven edges. Before every use, inspect your scrapper. Be mindful of how much pressure you are applying. Be gentle enough to not to harm the taste buds.

Beside tongue scraping, to improve your all over oral health use fluoride-based toothpaste, brush your teeth two times t a day, floss to remove tough to reach debris stuck between your teeth, and drink lots of water. In addition, avoid tobacco products and see your dentist in every 6 months for regular checkup and cleaning. In case, you are dealing with chronic dry mouth and oral thrush see your dentist right away.

Dr. Ritu Kumari Gupta: Professionally a homeopathic doctor and a dietician Dr. Ritu Kumari Gupta is passionate about writing health and parenting blogs. She believes in holistic approach towards health and well being.