Benefits Of Using A Tongue Cleaner
A tongue cleaner
Benefits of using a tongue cleaner
A “tongue cleaner” is a simple gadget you use to clean your tongue. To be more precise, the more appropriate name should be “tongue scraper” which you use it to scrape your tongue clean of the accumulated dirt especially at the inner part of the tongue. The accumulated debris is usually yellowish or off white in color. Tongue cleaners come in different shapes and materials. The most common tongue cleaners are made of metal or plastic. The two most common shape are the “U”-shape type and the “loop” type. The photos below, on the right show the two types of tongue cleaners.
From my observation, I think not many people use tongue cleaners . In my location, I have not seen tongue cleaners for sale in the big supermarkets. Only those who use tongue cleaners will know where to buy them in my location. One of the few is me. In my location, only the old “corner” stores selling general goods have them. They are as ancient as me! I can still remember those years when I was a young student staying in a student hostel in New Zealand, I used to hide my tongue cleaner and only used it discretely in the common lavatory when no one was watching! I knew even then, for sure that those Kiwis had never seen a tongue cleaner in their lives and might faint if they ever saw me scraping my tongue with the “nauseating” metal object. They might even think that I was going to commit suicide by cutting my tongue out of sheer loneliness!!
Coming back to the tongue cleaner, I have been using it since you began brushing my teeth. That would be nearly 60 years ago! Both my parents used tongue cleaners. So it was natural that I followed their ways.
Why use tongue cleaner
By the end of the day, the tongue would have accumulated a layer of dirt-like substance on its surface, especially at the deep end of the tongue. This accumulated layer carries millions of bacteria left over from our food intake during the day. If you use the tongue cleaner, you will know how “dirty” your tongue is by the end of the day. I can never go to sleep without scraping my tongue clean with my tongue cleaner. We all know what bacteria can do to us. So the best protection is to get rid of them.
Actually, I also use the tongue cleaner in the morning after brushing my teeth. So I start the day feeling fresh and clean; and end the day feeling the same.
Different types of tongue cleaner
Benefits of using tongue cleaner
From my nearly 60 years of using a tongue cleaner, the best benefit to me is the feeling of freshness in my mouth, especially the tongue. Other than that, oral health experts have confirmed that using a tongue cleaner has the following benefits:
- Prevents bad breath
- Prevents ulcers and digestive disorders
- Reduces plaque on the teeth
- Reduces tooth decay
- Reduces gum problems
- Reduces bacteria entering the stomach and blood stream
- Makes the tongue more sensitive to taste
- Cleans coffee and tea stains on the tongue
How to use a tongue cleaner
I clean my tongue when I brush my teeth, once in the morning and once at night.
Steps to using a tongue cleaner:
- Brush your teeth first
- Then open your mouth wide and stick out your tongue
- Place the curve of the tongue cleaner as far in, to the back of your tongue
- Scrape your tongue by pulling forward the tongue cleaner a few times
- Wash the tongue cleaner
- Repeat several times until clean
- Wash your mouth.
The tongue chart
Some interesting facts about tongue cleaning
Do you know even the ancient Egyptians and Romans did tongue cleaning? Tongue cleaning is quite common in India. In Indian Ayurvedic health practices it is called “jiva sodhana”. Ayurvedic physicians claim that tongue cleaning activates the salivary glands and revitalizes the throat preventing throat and sinus infections.
I am sure you have read about foot reflexology, and have seen the “reflexology foot chart” of the soles of the feet indicating specific spots that are connected with the body vital organs. In fact I have written an article on foot reflexology. There is also a “tongue chart” showing the specific spots that have direct link to the various body vital organs. Many Chinese and Indian physicians are able to inspect the tongue and diagnose any health problem. A healthy tongue, an indication of a healthy body, is pink in color and appears smooth without blemishes. Any abnormality on the tongue such as spots, marks, and off-pink in color is an indication of some health problem. Take a look at the “Tongue Chart” on the right. The front of the tongue is governed by the lungs and heart. The center of the tongue corresponds with the spleen, stomach, pancreas and liver. While the back of the tongue is related to the intestines and kidneys.
DISCLAIMER
The information provided in this article is sourced from the internet, from friends and contacts, and from personal experience. As I cautioned in my article, not every remedy will work on everyone. So is conventional medical treatment. It very much depends on the constituents of the person and the conditions peculiar to that person. Whatever the reasons, this article does not claim the information provided is totally accurate and reliable and will cure everyone. The purpose of this article is merely to inform visitors that there are alternative cures for all ailments.
You are therefore advised to consult your registered medical physicians as a matter of due diligence.
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