You may floss and brush your teeth daily but do you scrape your tongue too? It may sound like a laborious task to add to your day, but there are many benefits to this simple practice.
Firstly, it can greatly improve the taste of food. When the all the build up on your tongue is removed your tastebuds are exposed. How much better you can taste things after may surprise you!
Studies have found that poor oral hygiene can be linked to many medical conditions. These include cardiovascular disease, diabetes and infertility.
Build up of bacteria on the tongue transfers to teeth which causes plaque. This can then be the cause of cavities and gum disease. Tongue scraping helps to remove this and means your mouth can truly be clean unless this carries out alongside brushing and flossing.
It is estimated that 80-95% of bad breath is due to the remains of food and bacteria in the mouth. A large proportion of this will be stored on the tongue. Scraping – especially at the back – will remove this and help to combat bad breath.
It is essential to scrape your tongue when you are ill. This is because a lot can be brought up through coughing and sneezing which can settle at the back of your tongue. This leaves your body more susceptible to reabsorbing toxins, possibly elongating your illness.
Lastly, it’s so simple. Once you see how much comes off your tongue it will become a habit that you won’t want to stop anytime soon.
Here at Roy Morris Dental Excellence, our hygienists can help advise you on how to keep your entire mouth as clean as possible.