Tongue Scraping gave me a Fresh Mouth that did not get me into trouble. There’s a first time for everything. đ
Tongue Scraping has been practiced for thousands of years!
As is the case with most anything â whatâs old is now new again. At first glance, I thought that this whole âtongue scrapingâ fad, said to among other things – eliminate bad, smelly breath – was some new practice devised to sell us something we really didnât need. I know â Iâm a total skeptic, lol. I didnât see how it was any better or any different than just brushing your tongue, except that it added another step into a morning and evening routine. I was totally wrong!!
First, tongue scraping has existed for thousands of years in Ayurveda – the traditional practice of Indian medicine, which recommended daily tongue scraping to remove Ama – the toxic debris in the mind and body. It was believed that the benefits of the practice was not just limited to good oral health â but more comprehensively to our overall physical, mental and spiritual health. Since the oral cavity is one of the main gateways between our mind, body and the environment â keeping this connection healthy is thought to be critical to our general well-being. I like this concept â makes total sense!
Brushing the tongue isn’t enough
I think most everyone at least brushes their tongue â right? I mean, brushing the tongue is an obvious in terms of getting rid of bacteria that can cause bad breath, but itâs kind of similar to spritzing on perfume when what you really need is a bath. In other words â brushing the tongue isnât nearly as effective in ridding smelly mouth bacteria as tongue scraping. Now I feel dirty, and not in a good way!
5 things Tongue-Scraping does for us:
1. Gets rid of smelly Birth-Control Breath
Bad, smelly breath is an impenetrable (pun intended) form of birth control. No matter how hot someone is â there arenât enough cocktails in the world to get past gag-inducing bad breath, right! Health issues aside (which is another story), most bad breath comes from a buildup of food, bacteria and dead cells at the back of our tongue. That is so gross but I had to say it. Ideally, our tongue should look pink.
Stick your tongue out in front of the mirror. Itâs probably pink and healthy in the front â but look at it way in the back. If you see white, yellow or any color other than pink â thatâs the build-up that can be eliminated with a good tongue scrape. Itâs also what others can see and smell⊠Now we know!
2. Helps prevent cavities
When we tongue-scrape, it removes the bacteria and toxins that are responsible for plaque. This means less plaque buildup on our teeth, which in turn works to prevent against cavities, tooth decay and gum disease.
3. Enhances flavors of food + eliminates the need to add more sugar or salt
Removing gunk from the tongue allows our taste buds to fully experience the flavors in our food. When the tongue is coated, the taste buds are muted and canât completely taste foods. From the Ayurvedic perspective, by more fully exposing taste reception, we eat less and eliminate the desire to add more sugar, salt or excessive spices in order to make food taste more flavorful. Think of it like trying to scratch an itch while wearing a snowsuit. You can’t really get a good, satisfying scratch because the snowsuit’s too thick! Same concept đ
4. Keeps the conduit between food-nutrients & our body + mind, clear
Many of the beneficial phytonutrients – a substance found in certain plants, thought to be beneficial to our health and help prevent various diseases, and body-signals housed in our food are first interpreted by the mind + body upon contact with tongue receptors. We want to facilitate the communication between our food and our body by getting rid of any coating that can interfere with that connection. Many herbs unleash their beneficial effects upon contact with tongue receptors. Therefore, we need a clean and clear tongue to receive this healthy information!
5. Boosts our immune system
Tongue scraping helps prevent toxins from getting reabsorbed by the body. This is especially important to do when youâre sick, becauseâŠâŠwell, think about all the gunk that accumulates on the back of the tongue from coughing, sneezing and sucking on cough drops or other medâs. âNuff said!
Tongue coating is seen as a sign of poor health & diet
In our Western medicine, coating on the tongue is seen as a sign of poor health and an imbalance of keratin on the tongue. Ideally, the amount of keratin produced and the amount that sluffs off by eating a healthy diet of plant roughage and fiber, where food isnât overcooked or too soft – is balanced. But if our diet is too soft or the oral cavity is irritated – keratin can accumulate, leading to discolored coating.
While Western medicine regards the actual coating as âharmless,â it looks gross and gives us smelly breath. No Bueno. Additionally, when you incorporate the Ayurvedic paradigm of the mind, body and spiritual connection into the picture, the coating takes on a much bigger connective meaning in terms of the ultimate effect on aspects of our physical and emotional well-being.
Finally! The Details…
What, When and How to Tongue Scrape
WHAT to use
I use and recommend Dr. Tungâs Tongue Cleaner. Itâs a smooth, gentle stainless steel scraper, which is gentler and more comfortable than plastic. If for whatever reason you prefer another brand, just make sure it doesnât have any uneven or rough edges. That wouldnât feel good ;-( Be sure to inspect your scraper before every use to make sure itâs still safe!
WHEN to scrape
Scrape it daily, after you brush. If you donât want to take a tongue-scraper to work to use after lunch â at least do it in the AM and PM. Itâll keep gross build-up and bad breath at bay! In Ayurveda, this is a direct way of removing Ama from your physiology (accumulation of toxic residue in the mind-body.)
HOW to scrape
+ Using your Dr. Tungâs Tongue Cleaner, gently scrape from back to front for about 10-12 strokes.
+ Rinse scraper off between strokes if needed.
+ Donât gag yourself. If you do, itâs probably because your scraping to aggressively. Chill.
+ If youâre being gentle yet still gag, just begin slightly more forward on the tongue!
Complete your Fresh Mouth plan!
Try my personal 3-STEP PLAN for fresh breath & clean white teeth
Have you tried Tongue Scraping? Tell us about it – Comment and Share below. Have a question for me? Just ASK. It’s anonymous and I post answers to questions usually same-day!
