What’s the point of using a tongue cleaner?

The importance of brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing in between teeth is well known, but the importance of brushing your tongue is often forgotten. (2)

Food particles, bacteria and other debris can build up on your tongue overtime which can lead to bad breath and have a negative impact on your overall health. (1)

Adding tongue cleaning to your daily routine can help remove this buildup and leave your mouth feeling cleaner and fresher. (1)

Why is tongue cleaning important?

Using a tongue scraper can help to:

Improve your sense of taste. If there is a build-up of extra debris on your tongue, the taste buds won’t be able to pick up the taste of food to its full potential. Scraping and cleaning your tongue will remove this build up layer so your taste buds may be able to better distinguish between food types, such as sweet, salty, bitter and sour sensations. (2)

Improve the appearance of your tongue. When there’s lots of build-up on your tongue, it can form a coloured film over it changing the appearance to look slightly dirty. Scraping this layer off and removing any extra film will enhance the appearance and may boost your confidence. (2)

Reduces bacteria. Bacteria are responsible for lots of dental issues, such as plaque, bad breath and tooth decay. (2) By using a tongue scraper and keeping your tongue clean consistently, you can help reduce bacteria in your mouth that could contribute to future dental issues. (1)

Improve overall health. Removing bacteria is key to preventing cavities, gum disease and other conditions affecting the mouth. (1) Therefore, using a tongue scraper to help clear these bacteria not only improves your oral health but also your overall health. (2)

Reduce bad breath. By removing bacteria and old food particles that can cause bad breath, tongue scraping can help to physically reduce the volume of odour-causing bacteria. Which may help freshen your breath. (3) (4)

Think of tongue cleaning as an additional step in your oral hygiene routine, not a replacement for brushing your teeth or cleaning between them.

Why can’t I just brush my tongue with my toothbrush?

Although a toothbrush can be a temporary solution before buying a tongue scraper, your toothbrush is designed primarily to clean your teeth and gumline, not your tongue.

So, due to the differences between the tongue’s surface and tooth enamel, toothbrushes may not clean the tongue as thoroughly as you’d like them to. (5)

The tongue’s surface is covered with tiny crevices that make it easy for bacteria to hide in. Toothbrushes are designed to clean hard, smooth tooth surfaces and reach into much larger gaps. (5)

Tongue scrapers curve to fit the natural shape of your tongue and therefore are designed to get into those tiny crevices, working to reduce the number of bacteria on the tongue. (5)

How to use DenTek OraBrush Tongue Scraper (6)

1. Moisten your tongue with water or mouth wash.
2. Gently brush the tongue several times with the OraBrush using a back-and-forth motion reaching towards the back of the tongue.
3. Remove the residue generated from brushing, by scraping your tongue with the scraper located on the top of the brush.
4. Rinse the mouth to remove the loosened material, leaving the tongue clean and fresh.
5. Clean the OraBrush with water and store.

Tongue cleaning takes only a small amount of extra time but can be a useful part of a complete oral hygiene routine. By helping remove everyday buildup from the tongue, it can contribute to a cleaner-feeling mouth and fresher breath. Always refer to full product info before use.

Always refer to full product info before use. Speak to a professional if problems arise or persist.

References –

1. https://www.healthline.com/health/dental-and-oral-health/tongue-scraping
2. https://conwayhousedental.co.uk/5-reasons-why-cleaning-your-tongue-is-important/
3. https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/tongue-scraping
4. https://www.southkenmd.co.uk/blog/tongue-scraping-benefits-bad-breath-gut-health
5. https://www.colgate.com/en-us/oral-health/adult-oral-care/tongue-brush-vs-toothbrush
6. https://dentek-eu.com/clean/orabrush-tongue-scraper/