After waking up, or drinking coffee, we routinely brush, floss and gargle for freshness, and yet our mouth somehow still doesn’t quite feel clean enough. If you feel like you’re missing out on a vital step in your oral healthcare ritual, you probably are: tongue scraping.
It might sound a little strange or invasive at first, but this ancient Ayurvedic practice is making a massive comeback in oral hygiene routines for a very good reason – it actually works! So, let’s take a closer look at how this ancient ritual is changing the lives of so many, and why I’ll never go back to my old brush-and-floss-only ways because of it…
What Is Tongue Scraping?
If we think of our tongue like a plush carpet, over the course of the day and especially while we sleep, it traps tiny food particles, dead cells and bacteria. This often shows up as that thin white coating on the surface of the tongue that you see first thing in the morning.
Tongue scraping is the simple act of using a small, U-shaped tool to gently sweep that white coating away. While our toothbrush is still great for teeth, it often just pushes debris around on the tongue’s surface, whereas a scraper actually removes it.
The Science Of The Scrape
Our mouth is home to hundreds of different types of bacteria, and whilst some are good, others are responsible for bad breath, poor digestive health and poor taste bud function. Around 80–90% of bad breath originates from bacteria on the back of the tongue, which in turn allows toxins to move down into the digestive tract, which is why it’s so important to remove them from the tongue.
When it comes to our taste buds, the white coating on our tongue also muffles taste and flavour, and so scraping it clean allows our meals to be as vibrant and delicious as they are lovingly made to be.
Tongue scraping takes just a handful of seconds each morning and is entirely pain free. You simply stick your tongue out, place the scraper as far back as comfortable without gagging, and use a gentle pressure to drag the scraper from the back to the tip of the tongue. The scaper collects a creamy white debris which you rinse off under warm running water and repeat 5-10 tomes until the tongue is left pink and clean.
Whilst you can find many types of tongue scrapers at supermarkets and online, I personally prefer to use copper as it is naturally antimicrobial, meaning it’s resistant to bacteria growth on the tool itself, and it lasts a lifetime unlike cheaper plastic disposables. Designed with a classic, sturdy U-shape, it works beautifully without being abrasive and adds an elevated aesthetic touch to my bathroom cabinet.
So, if you want that just-left-the-dentist feeling every morning, why not give tongue scraping a try. It’s a wellness habit that provides instant gratification with immediate results, and your breath and taste buds will flourish.
