Little Emily will be a dentist when she grows up. Her dentist knows this and let’s Emily peer in as she does work inside the mouth of family members. With a minute inspection, at home Emily is the Minuteman Patrol that makes sure every family member has brushed their teeth properly. In a heartbeat she can spot a spot you missed and send you back into the bathroom to try again. Her last inspection is a heartstopper. “Stick out your tongue, all the way out.”
Little Emily was not around when I was a kid so I missed out on her inspections and now I have no teeth left to inspect. That doesn’t stop Little Emily. “Stick out your tongue, all the way out.”
Humoring Emily is one thing, back home again is another matter. Today, it dawned on me: Emily may be right! Maybe I don’t have any teeth left, but my tongue is still hanging in there. Maybe taking care of the tongue is a life-long crusade? Nothing like searching the Internet to find out. This turned out to be an eye-opening journey of discovery for me because it turns out Little Emily is right, BIG TIME.
http://www.dentalgentlecare.com/tongue_scrapping.htm is easily the most helpful site I found.
Many recent studies have shown that several of the bacteria in the mouth can enter the bloodstream and promote blood clots and damage heart muscle tissue. The bacteria Clostridium perfingens, which is commonly found in the oral cavity, is suspected of being one of the major culprits .
Other research suggests that newborns with low birth weight may be associated with the toxic byproducts released by the bacteria from gum infections in pregnant women. There are also ongoing studies that link the worsening symptoms of both diabetes and periodontal disease. As well, bacteria found in the mouth can end up in the airways and increase the risk of complications associated with chronic lung conditions and respiratory disease.
While brushing and flossing should remove 25% of the odors in your mouth,
scraping your tongue can remove up to 75%
The latest research associates the bacteria in our mouths to Dental Insurance Companiesheart disease and other ailments. The bottom line – for dramatically better oral hygiene and health just go to the source and clean your tongue, safely and effectively.
It turns out that China is striving mightily to corner the market on tongue cleaners. One ad was a special gem: (This) is the new device for cleaning the human tongue is disclosed and includes an elongate handle having a support frame extending from one end thereof and a fibrous cleaning member slidably carried on the support frame. The opposed end of the handle is disposed substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of the handle to form a pistol grip or handle. The cleaning member is carried by the support frame in depending tracks and is slidable along the longitudinal axis of the tool so that when the fibrous cleaning member is brought into contact with the dorsum or top surface of the tongue and either held in place and the tongue moved against it or being moved back and forth against the tongue, the fibrous material is capable of removing foreign matter which might otherwise remain on the surface thereof.
Even though tongue cleaning improves the sensation of taste and seems to reduce the substrata for putrefaction, most of us will elect to remain with the common, or not so common, toothbrush. An American ad proves that the Chinese don’t have a corner on bad English in their advertising:
Brush your tongue from back to front. Some people put some toothpaste or mouthwash on their toothbrush when they do this.
Brushing your tongue helps remove plaque, which can cause bad breath and encourages bacteria growth.
http://www.revolutionhealth.com/articles/brushing-the-tongue/zm2560
Okay, so now we realize that it is essential that we overhaul the tongue in its wag. Then comes that human reflex to avoid scrubbing the tongue.. the universal gag. How do we do the tongue right without gagging?
Preventing your gag reflex from going nuts when brushing your tongue is pretty much mind over matter. Don’t press down too hard, and after you get used to it, you won’t gag as much.
Is this getting too deep? How about just a good old gargle or two? One good swish from left to right and front to back ought to kill all the flora and fauna hiding in there. The good old gargle in most medicine cabinets is almost certain to contain alcohol. What’s wrong with that? Alcohol has a drying effect on the oral tissues and this promotes the growth of bad bacteria. Consequently, alcohol is probably the worst mouth rinse ingredient around because it promotes the growth of anaerobic bacteria. Plus there is the possibility that long-term use of alcohol rinses may cause the onset of oral cancers. In short, alcohol is a Stay-Away-From-It-Substance!
Says Dr. Shapira: “Your tongue is covered with little hairlike projections, which under a microscope look like a forest of mushrooms. Under the caps of the ‘mushrooms,’ there’s room to harbor plaque and some of the things we eat. That causes bad breath.”
His advice? While brushing, gently sweep the top of your tongue, too, so that you don’t leave food and bacteria behind to breed bad breath. Remember to go very gently if you have a quit smoking helpSmoker’s tongue because many of your little mushrooms have been badly scorched.
So, here’s what I’ve come away with: “Floss FIRST. Brush next. Scrub next (gently so you don’t hurt the little mushrooms rooming in there), and gargle a good swish of NON-alcoholic mouth-wash from left to right and front to back to kill all the flora and fauna still hiding in there. I use Equate’s Alcohol Free.
Emily, come see if I missed anything!
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