The Benefits of a Tongue Scraper for Your Oral Health

When it comes to basic oral hygiene we all know the drill: brush and floss like your life depends on it. But don’t fool yourself, that’s the least that you can do for your oral health. In addition to brushing and flossing, using a tongue scraper can help ensure your mouth is fresh and bacteria-free.

When you’re brushing and flossing you are solely focusing on cleaning your teeth, but there are also millions of bacteria that collect on your tongue throughout the day. Merely brushing your tongue and using a mouthwash does little to remove these bacteria. Almost half of the bacteria in the mouth live on the surface of the tongue, and if not removed, they can cause bad breath as well as other dental health issues such as gum disease.

The best method to remove these bacteria is cleaning the tongue with a special tongue scraper. Tongue scrapers are inexpensive tools which can be found at most pharmacies, health shops as well as online. When searching for a tongue scraper Australia stores offer, you’ll come across a variety of types – some made of plastic and others of metal. A copper tongue scraper is usually considered the best choice as copper has natural anti-bacterial properties.

Using a tongue scraper is rather easy. You only need to place the tool at the back of the tongue where the majority of the bacteria collects, and gently pull it forward. You can clean your tongue before or after brushing your teeth, there’s no particular order. After use, always properly rinse your scraper with warm water before and after use to remove any bacteria present.

Besides removing the bacteria that cause bad breath, tongue scraping frees up the debris that’s collected around your taste buds. This, in turn, exposes your taste buds and allows you to better distinguish between bitter, salty, sweet and sour flavours. What’s more, scraping off your tongue also promotes saliva production which helps protect your teeth against bacteria-build up.

A tongue scraper can offer great benefits as long as you use it properly. For instance, cleaning your tongue with a scraper in the morning won’t prevent bad breath from developing later in the day. As you eat, drink and breath, bacteria build up. So, if you want to effectively prevent bad breath, you’ll also need to scrape your tongue more often during the day.

You might wonder is it really necessary to use a scraper for cleaning your tongue, and doesn’t a regular toothbrush work just fine? A 2004 study suggests that it doesn’t. Researchers have found that a tongue scraper can remove 30% more bacteria that cause volatile sulphur compounds than a toothbrush. All in all, buying a tongue scraper Australia stores sell is a cheap yet effective way to improve your oral health and prevent bad breath.