The Benefits of Tongue Scrapers: Enhancing Your Oral Hygiene
Every time a patient comes to our Staten Island practice, we want to turn it into a teachable moment. We'll open up a dialogue, ask questions and offer tips to enhance your dental health. This focus on general wellness and patient education is an essential part of our advanced and holistic approach to restorative dentistry.
Many of our patients have questions about their oral hygiene routine. Sometimes they ask us whether or not they should get a tongue scraper. Let's consider some of the potential benefits of scraping your tongue.
What Is a Tongue Scraper?
A tongue scraper is a dental instrument that's designed to do just what you think it does. Tongue scrapers are placed along the surface of the tongue. Pulling from the back of the tongue to the front, the scraper helps remove food particles, dead cells, and the bacteria that naturally occurs in the mouth. This bacteria is responsible for causing bad breath, tooth decay, and gum disease.
Tongue scrapers date back to a number of ancient cultures, including India, Africa, the Middle East, and South America.
Improves the Freshness and Cleanliness of Your Mouth
One of the key benefits of using a tongue scraper is that it can greatly enhance the overall freshness of your mouth. Brushing and flossing can certainly get your teeth clean, but the tongue scraper is specifically made to target matter that's on the tongue. Fewer food particles and less oral bacteria is a good thing.
Helps Fight Bad Breath
Another one of the key benefits of tongue scrapers is that it can help fight bad breath. Many times food particles remain on the tongue, allowing oral bacteria to feed on these particles and produce the foul odor we know as halitosis. By brushing, flossing, and scraping the tongue you remove all kinds of matter that can lead to severe bad breath.
More Comfortable Than Brushing Your Tongue
If you've ever tried to brush your tongue, you may have noticed it's not so comfortable. You may wind up gagging if you try to clean the back of your tongue. You may also notice excessive and messy salivation as you're brushing your tongue. These are not issues when you're using a tongue scraper, which is quite convenient.
Tongue Scrapers Can Improve the Taste of Food
Since you're removing a lot of gunk from your tongue, there is a chance that the tongue scraper can also improve your sense of taste. This is ideal for foodies and people who really want to savor the flavor of wine or a craft beer. The next time you have an epicurean adventure planned, a little bit of tongue scraping might not be a bad idea.
How Often Should I Scrape My Tongue?
Ideally you'll want to scrap your tongue each time you brush your teeth, which means at least twice a day. If you want to maximize the benefits and enhance your oral hygiene routine, consider brushing your teeth, flossing, and scraping your tongue after every meal.
Learn More About Improving Your Oral Hygiene
For more information about tongue scrapers and whether or not they could make a difference for your dental health, be sure to contact our cosmetic and restorative dentistry center today. The team at our practice looks forward to your visit and discussing these matters in greater detail.
