Tongue scraping: this funky oral hygiene habit helps to make your breath a little less funky. It can be done with a tongue scraping tool or even with a spoon. After you brush, instead of brushing your tongue, scrape it to make sure you’re getting all of the gunk out of your mouth.
Here’s how it works: place the tool on the farthest back part of your tongue that is comfortable for you. Then, scrape forward with medium pressure. Rinse and repeat for about 7 to 14 scrapes or until your tongue feels clean. Be careful at first. This will likely be a new sensation for your tongue, so be sensitive until you know how much you need. Follow up with your oil pulling practice and enjoy your fresh breath, naturally!
The practice of tongue scraping comes from ancient Ayurvedic traditions. In Ayurveda, the tongue is used to help evaluate the health of the whole body. Once you start scraping, you’ll probably crave it almost every day. In Ayurvedic tradition, that is quite alright.
One of the more obvious benefits is that it helps with bad breath and oral health. Built up food residue in your mouth is what causes unpleasant smells. Tongue scraping helps to get all of that potential bacteria out of there. A clean tongue also helps you to taste your foods more fully. Not only does this let you enjoy your favorite treats, but it also helps with digestion as the first step is triggered by taste. So, tongue scraping gets all the bad out while allowing you to better taste all of the good.