Why Everyone’s Investing In Tongue Scrapers

What are tongue scrapers? 

It’s more than likely that you’ve owned a toothbrush with a plastic or silicone tongue scraper on the reverse of its head at some point. It’s less likely, perhaps, that you’ve owned an object whose sole purpose was to clean the coating of your upper tongue. 

The practice of tongue hygiene isn’t a new notion, however, it’s been practised throughout most of the world for centuries, but it’s thought to have origins in Ayurveda, traditional Indian medicine, dating back to ancient times. 

Traditional tongue scrapers would have been made from metals like copper, silver, gold, tin or brass. However, over the centuries they’ve also been designed in materials like mother-of-pearl, whalebone, ivory, woods and, most recently, plastics.  

Are tongue scrapers useful?

When used properly, tongue scraping is effective in removing the build-up of dead cells, bacteria and debris that naturally collect in your mouth.

Health benefits of using a tongue scraper

• Improved breath 
• Removing bad bacteria
• A heightened sense of taste
• Improved general oral hygiene – acting as prevention to gum disease and tooth decay

Drawbacks of tongue scraping

• Triggering your gag reflex
• Cutting, or damaging your tongue

How often to use a tongue scraper

It’s recommended that you clean your tongue each time you brush your teeth in order to prevent the build-up that’s associated with severe bad breath. 

If you’re looking to eliminate breath odours entirely, then you might need to use your scraper after every meal. 

Can’t you just clean your tongue with your toothbrush? 

Yes, of course you can, however, it’s been proven that using a tongue scraper is 30% more effective at removing the bad stuff than your toothbrush alone. That being said, cleaning your tongue with your toothbrush is better than not doing it at all. 

Our top tongue scraper picks

We’d always recommend a scraper made of natural materials, like this sustainable copper tongue scraper from Wearth, over one made of plastic. According to Wearth, ‘copper is naturally anti-microbial and anti-bacterial so works wonders for ridding your mouth of bacteria’.

Make sure you let us know what you think in the comments section below!