The secret to a healthy mouth: the tongue scraper

Many essential human functions occur in the mouth. Bacteria that feed on what we consume and don't clean properly reproduce there. Oral hygiene has even been adopted as a basic pillar by the World Health Organization (WHO) due to the increase in mouth-related diseases.

Unfortunately, 1,000 people die from oral cancer each year in Spain.

The Council of Dentists published a study in the "Atlas of Oral Health" which highlighted the most common diseases in this country. It explains that about 8 million Spanish women suffer from periodontal disease. As of today, 371 million teeth with cavities have been registered.

Often, when the topic of proper oral hygiene comes up, only the care of teeth is discussed, but not the cleaning that should also be done to the tongue. Bacteria that are removed from the teeth by brushing accumulate there.

If you are not paying attention to it after brushing... You should keep reading, we will tell you about the importance of using a tongue scraper and how you can benefit from it.

Why the tongue is important

The tongue is an essential muscle for speech and sound production, for processing food, and for cleaning the oral cavity. It has a great relationship with brain function and the digestive system, as well as with the respiratory system, so its hygiene would not only affect the mouth itself.

According to José Nart, periodontist and head of SEPA, in an interview with Cuida Tus Encías:

Both inflammation and bacteria are not limited to the gums, but circulate through our blood and other organs. The so-called mediators of inflammation, or inflammation cascade, circulate throughout our body, damaging it wherever it can. Today it is scientifically known that being inflamed very negatively conditions our life, worsening our health.

Want to know something curious?! The tongue is connected to the feet through the fascia, that thin skin of fibrous tissue that surrounds our organs and has so many nerve connections.

Therefore, yes, we can confirm that the tongue is one of the most important muscular organs of the body, with even its incorrect placement being responsible for pathologies in the temporomandibular joint, neck or pelvis numbness, and in the respiratory diaphragm.

Among its functions, some not very well known also stand out:

• Self-cleaning: the tongue helps remove food debris that remains on the teeth.
• Temperature perception: it can detect if food is hot or cold to prevent burns.
• Lubrication: saliva is important to prevent dryness and facilitate digestion.
• Immunological defense: it is involved in Waldeyer's lymphatic ring, located in the pharynx. This set of tissue structures protects the body from pathogens that enter our organism.

The tongue as a pathological indicator

The detox techniques for the tongue originate from Ayurveda, a medicine that originated in India 5,000 years ago. It proposes not only solutions for disease but also healthy habits for its prevention.

In China, in Ancient Egypt, and also in traditional medicine, the tongue was observed to know the state of patients. Toxins accumulate in it (harmful substances produced by cells) that our body expels naturally or that we ingest from outside.

The main organs responsible for eliminating and neutralizing toxins are the liver and kidneys, which is why it is said that poor oral hygiene can lead to liver or kidney diseases.

We refer to this when we say that the mouth is not an isolated system, but that its functioning and state affect other parts of the body, organs, or metabolic processes. It is also interesting to identify the appearance of these toxins, or ama.

Image 2. Reflection of some pathologies on the tongue

Heidi Godman, a physician and executive editor of the Harvard Health Letter at Harvard University, and Howard LeWine, an internist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, recently conducted a study on how the appearance of the tongue reveals valuable health information.

• Brown or black tongue: there is an elongation of the taste buds, making them better trap bacteria and food dyes. Smoking or drinking coffee can cause this, but above all, lack of saliva and poor hygiene. It can be related to liver or autoimmune diseases.

• Tongue with white patches or sores: candidiasis arises from an imbalance in the oral microbiota, due to conditions such as HIV or diabetes, or the use of medical treatments. It can be identified as cysts, leukoplakia, or coated tongue.

• Tongues with red or yellow sores: if it hurts, it may be an irritation, but it is important to have an expert review it, as it can be related to cancer or anemia.

• Bright red tongue: if it doesn't hurt, it may be a harmless condition or, in some cases, geographic tongue or diabetes.

The tongue scraper and toxin elimination

Is it clear to you now that just brushing your teeth is not enough? The pharmacist María García, or better known as Boticaria García, in the program Zapeando assures that "the tongue is like a sponge", so a tongue scraper, "Jihwa Prakshalana" in Sanskrit, should be used to eliminate all those bacteria.

Toothbrushes that have a rough part behind the bristles are not valid; bacteria hide among them, and their cleaning does not ensure that they are clean.

Benefits of daily use of the tongue scraper:

Super TIP: combine it with xylitol and get a 10 out of 10 result. We recommend you read our blog on its benefits.