5 science-backed reasons to convince you to start cleaning your tongue daily

Oral health is extremely important and while most of us brush every day, not many know that tongue cleaning is also an equally important.
tongue colour
The color of your tongue says something about your health. Image courtesy: Shutterstock
Sonakshi Kohli Published: 9 Jul 2020, 16:41 pm IST
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When it comes to maintaining proper oral hygiene and health, everyone mostly stresses on brushing the teeth twice a day. This can surely prevent tooth decay and gum problems that occur due to food particles stuck between the teeth, or simply the build-up of plaque on the teeth.

What if we tell you there is yet another source of this bacterial supply in your mouth that you seem to have forgotten about?

We’re talking about the oft-ignored part of your mouth—the tongue. It is essential to scrape off the debris deposited on your tongue twice a day after brushing your teeth. In fact, it is just as important as brushing. Here’s why:

1. You’ve got to do it for the looks of it
Now, taking care of how your tongue’s aesthetic might sound superficial. However, going without cleaning your tongue can lead to a build-up of excess debris and thus, leave it with a gross white coat. Scraping your tongue with a tongue cleaner, can in a way, help you “exfoliate” your tongue and retain its fresh, clean, pinkish appearance.

Take a quiz: Are you brushing your teeth right?

2. It reduces bad breath
Have you ever wondered why, despite chewing on several gums/mouth fresheners and brushing your teeth thoroughly twice a day, your mouth still stinks? Well, the answer lies on your tongue in the form of the odour-causing bacteria that continue to make your mouth smell bad when you don’t clean it every day.

In fact, as per a study conducted in 2004, tongue scraping is more effective in removing odour-causing bacteria from your mouth as compared to teeth brushing. Hence, you’ve got to do BOTH.

brush your teeth regularly
Just brushing your teeth isn’t enough to get rid of the bad breath! GIF courtesy: Giphy

3. It can boost your oral health
The bacterial build-up on your tongue can spread on to the other areas of your mouth, leading to problems such as tooth decay and gum infections. However, as per a study conducted in 2005, tongue scraping twice a day can help you get rid of the harmful bacteria and take care of this problem.

4. It can prevent indigestion
The bacterial build-up on the tongue can also pass into your digestive system when you swallow your food or through saliva intake. This can totally harm your digestive health and make you prone to gas and ingestion. Therefore, it is necessary to get rid of it every day.

5. It can enhance your taste buds
If the food you eat is never “spicy enough” or “salty enough” for you, maybe it is the dulling down of your taste buds that are responsible for it. According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology, scraping your tongue twice a day can take the microbial load off it and enhance your taste buds, enabling you to experience bitter, sour, sweet, spicy sensations better.

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PERSONALISE NOW

If you’re finally convinced and have decided to incorporate tongue scraping in your daily routine, just remember to not end up gagging or vomiting while doing so. Be gentle with yourself so that you don’t end up with any cuts on your tongue due to using a tongue scraper harshly, okay?

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About the Author

Twenty kilos down and struggling to maintain the weight loss by preaching healthy eating, while eating unhealthy every now and then. ...Read More

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