how to clean your tongue naturally and effectively using a tongue scraper

Have you ever consumed a colorful food/beverage that turned your tongue a different color? Or felt that sticky film on the surface of your tongue?

These things alone are enough to prove how absorbent and vulnerable your tongue is.... and how much bacteria love to make themselves at home on this grooved, cushy surface.

Now, before you go and grab the harsh mouthwash that will wipe out nearly every living organism inside your mouth (good or bad), we want to remind you that your oral microbiome is a very delicate ecosystem.

It thrives when the good bacteria are nurtured and the bad bacteria are reduced. This way, it can continue to aid digestion, fight off disease, and communicate with the healthy bacteria in your gut. Needless to say, wiping out the entire ecosystem is not the answer.

So what is the answer? Tongue scraping.

Using a tongue scraper is one of the oldest and best ways to reduce the bad bacteria in your mouth and remove that icky film that causes bad breath (and tongue discoloration). Good news, we now have an amazing tongue scraper available that you can add to your natural oral care routine, in tandem with Davids Natural Toothpaste, of course!

 

why use a tongue scraper?

Your tongue is a breeding ground for bad bacteria, hence the biofilm and mixture of flavors and smells that often accumulate on its surface.

Many dentists agree that simply brushing your tongue or rinsing with mouthwash is not enough to truly clean your tongue. In fact, they say these methods may only kill the outer cells of your tongue’s biofilm… but won’t effectively reach the bacteria thriving underneath the film.

On the other hand, tongue scraping removes the bacteria that reside above and beneath the biofilm on your tongue, leaving it fresh and healthy. Research shows that tongue scraping can effectively reduce plaque counts after just 10 days.

On top of these health benefits, tongue scrapers (especially the stainless steel model we offer) are durable and can be infinitely reused. It’s an effective zero waste alternative to mouthwash, and you know how passionate we are about sustainability!

 

benefits of a tongue scraper

Well, as mentioned above, using a tongue scraper can rid your tongue of bad bacteria without harming your oral microbiome. But it’s also important to note that tongue scraping is an ancient Ayurvedic practice that poses many inconspicuous benefits.

Ayurveda (the world’s oldest holistic healing practice) emphasizes that the tongue is directly connected to many of the vital organs in your body such as the heart, kidney, liver, lungs, stomach, and beyond. We couldn’t agree more, which is why we always say that the mouth is the window to your overall health!

Similarly, the health of your tongue reveals a lot about the health of these organs, so it’s essential to care for your tongue to promote your overall health. Tongue scraping is one of the best ways to do so, as it removes the toxins on your tongue while massaging and stimulating the tissue.

To summarize, Ayurveda (and many western medicine doctors+dentists) believe that the benefits of a tongue scraper include:

• fresher breath
• improved taste
• decreased risk of tooth decay + gum disease
• improved tongue appearance (aka, another opportunity to assess your oral + overall health)
• increased health for your vital organs
• improved digestive + gut health
• reduced toxic load for your body
• fewer bad bacteria + dead cells on your tongue

When you try tongue scraping, the benefits speak for themselves as it leaves your mouth feeling fresher than ever before. Trust us, (if it hasn’t already) tongue scraping will become the piece of your oral care routine you can’t live without.

 

how to use a tongue scraper + optimize its benefits

To optimize the benefits of your tongue scraper, it’s important to understand how to use it. Here are a few of our top tips.

• Use your tongue scraper in tandem with brushing with Davids. You can use your tongue scraper before or after brushing your teeth, but just be sure to brush (and floss) in tandem with tongue scraping to optimize freshness.
• Rinse your mouth before use to remove any loose food particles.
• Scrape your entire tongue. It’s okay if you have to scrape multiple times, just make sure you get the sides and all the crevices.
• Scrape from back to front. The further back you can get (comfortably), the more bacteria/biofilm you’ll remove.

Rinse your tongue scraper between every scrape to effectively remove debris and bacteria.

Wash your tongue scraper with mild soap and hot water after use to eliminate bacteria and debris. You do not want to store it for hours without washing it first.

Make sure you store your tongue scraper in a clean, dry place. This is the same advice we’d give you to store your toothbrush!

 

stay tuned for a special announcement

At this point, you’re probably wondering, “Why are they dedicating an entire article to tongue scraping when they don’t even sell a tongue scraper?” Our answer is....

One: stay tuned! 

And two: tongue scraping is a safe, sustainable, and effective way to elevate and optimize your oral health. And we care a lot about your oral health!

When you pair tongue scraping with our natural toothpaste, it becomes one of the easiest ways to start and end your day on the freshest possible note. So naturally, we’ve been working with some awesome oral care innovators to add the best tongue scraper on the market to our product lineup.

Don’t worry, you’ll be the first to know when it arrives! In the meantime, make sure you’re stocked up on the best natural toothpaste to jumpstart your holistic oral care routine.

buy now.