Are You Scraping?
Have you ever heard of a tongue scraper? A tongue scraper (also called a tongue cleaner or tongue brush) is an oral hygiene device designed to clean off bacteria, food debris, fungi, and dead cells from the surface of your tongue. The film that develops on your tongue while you sleep is a good indicator of what’s going on inside your body. It can be clear, thick, white, yellow, brown, or even green. The bacteria and fungi on the tongue are related to many common oral care and general health problems and can be a leading cause of bad breath for many.
Four Reasons to Scrape Your Tongue Every Day:
- Improves the breath: Removing the bacteria, food debris, fungi, and dead cells from the tongue significantly reduces the odor from the mouth. You may have been told to use your toothbrush for this purpose, but brushing the tongue does NOT efficiently remove all of the film that develops on the tongue. You will be blown away the first time you do this by the amount of gunk that comes off of the tongue.
- Improves your ability to taste: Removing build-up from the surface of your tongue will better expose your taste buds. This will lead to better enjoyment of the flavors of your food. Ayurveda teaches that the better we enjoy and savor our food, the better our bodies digest and assimilate, leading to better over all health. Also, Ayurveda teaches that blocked taste buds and tongue receptors interferes with our body’s ability to communicate with our brain about what types of foods we need to maintain our health, leading to false cravings.
- Avoid toxins being reabsorbed into your body: As you sleep, your body is detoxifying. Much of the film on your tongue is toxins excreted from your body. You don’t want to re-ingest that do you? NO! Scraping your tongue first thing in the morning will remove this sludge from your tongue and from your body, improving your over all health and improving your immune system.
- Improves dental health:By removing bacteria and toxins, you are also contributing to better dental health as well, leading to healthier teeth and gums. The bacteria that you remove from your tongue are responsible for things like periodontal problems, plaque build-up, tooth decay, gum infections, gum recession, and even loss of teeth.
If you would like further information, call Smile Sarasota or ask either of our hygienists the next time you are in for a visit!
