Which is Better: Brushing The Tongue or Using Tongue Scraper?

For those who are interested in increasing their oral health as much as possible, you may wonder if scraping your tongue is better than brushing it or vice versa. Is there any difference? Should you do both? This article will discuss tongue scraping and tongue brushing and inform you which should be done more often.

Tongue Scraping

The benefits of scraping your tongue have to do with the fact that your tongue collects a lot of bacteria and dead cells. The bad breath that you experience may be due to the bacteria located on your tongue.

A tongue scraper can effectively remove bacteria and dead cells from the muscle. You can use a scraper like a copper scraper or a stainless steel tongue scraper to effectively remove bad bacteria that might make you ill. 

All you need to do to use it is to run the scraper from the back of your tongue to the front. 

Tongue Brushing

Using a soft brush, on the other hand, is what people typically do. They use the soft bristles to scrub over their tongue. While it may seem like using a brush can remove more bacteria, that isn't necessarily the case. One study found that using a toothbrush wasn't as effective. 

It removed 30% less bacteria than a tongue scraper. 

Which Is Better? Tongue Scraping vs Tongue Brushing

While tongue scrapers can remove more bacteria, you're going to acquire bacteria on your tongue whenever you eat or drink. Scraping your tongue is only effective if you stick with it. To ensure you don't get bad breath, you'll want to scrape after every meal. 

To give you the best possible clean, it's actually best that you do both. Using a bamboo toothbrush, for example, can give you a better clean than a standard toothbrush. You should begin by brushing your teeth normally with your toothbrush. After you have brushed, you can run the toothbrush over your tongue to start the cleaning process.

Use a tongue scraper next to remove any lingering bacteria from your tongue. Then you'll want to thoroughly rinse your mouth to ensure nothing sticks to the inside of your cheeks or teeth. 

Benefits of Scraping Tongue

There are a few benefits of using a tongue scraper over a toothbrush. One of them is that it can increase your sense of taste. If you don't regularly clean your tongue, then dead cells, bacteria, and other particles can coat your tongue. This can obscure your tastebuds, making tasting food and beverages more difficult.

After using a tongue scraper, you can remove that build-up and enjoy a better sense of taste. 

It can also improve the appearance of your tongue. Healthy tongues are pink or dark red in color. If you have white coating your tongue instead, then you're looking at a lot of build-up of bacteria and dead cells. When you use a tongue scraper, this removes that build-up and returns your tongue to a healthy color. 

For most people, one of the benefits of using a tongue scraper is that it can remove bad breath. While it does remove it temporarily, you're going to need to continue to scrape your tongue after meal as well as twice a day. 

Finally, it can improve your overall health because it removes bad bacteria that might cause gum disease or other problems. 

Try A Tongue Scraper Today

If you are curious about what using a tongue scraping during your regular dental routine can do for you, then give it a try. For maximum results, include using a toothbrush beforehand and scrape after every meal.