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In this article, we’re going to explore the often-overlooked oral hygiene habit of cleaning the tongue as well as the important role that tongue cleaning plays in supporting greater oral and whole-body health.

We often emphasize that the health of the mouth plays a central role in the health of the whole body, so it’s important to balance our oral flora by being good conductors of the symphony of microbes in our mouths. In essence, a critical step in navigating the path to greater whole-body health is to establish and maintain a healthy microbial balance at the beginning of the digestive tract: our mouth.

So, let’s start by exploring why cleaning the tongue plays such a big part in any holistic oral hygiene routine and how it can impact our whole-body health.

Scientists have found that the mouth may function as a reservoir for microbes that can cause gut inflammation.

Why is this so important?

Well, like Hippocrates said around 2500 years ago, “All disease begins in the gut.” So, if our gut is unhealthy, it’s impossible for the body to be healthy.

Research suggests that common oral microbes may perpetuate and aggravate gut inflammation. If left unchecked, this could result in, or at least contribute to, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and leaky gut.

The mouth is the beginning…

The digestive tract actually begins in the mouth.

The mouth chews food, breaking it down into smaller pieces and mixing it with our saliva (which contains digestive enzymes), and then the masticated food travels down the throat and into the stomach. Then the stomach, spleen, and pancreas create fuel for our systems by digesting the food, the small intestine absorbs nutrients from that digested food, and the remaining food waste is eliminated through the colon (large intestine).

The big point here, the digestive tract is also home to 80% of our immune system and the mouth is the beginning of this whole system.

This is why holistic oral health strategies like oil pulling go a long way toward helping us have a healthy gut microbiome.

You see, we swallow a lot of oral microbes every day with our saliva. If the mouth is healthy and has a balanced oral flora, bathing the digestive tract with saliva definitely supports our overall health.

However, if the mouth is out of balance and ‘thug bugs’ are running the show, everything ‘downstream’ can suffer from this imbalanced mouth ecology.

For example, overpopulation of the bacteria klebsiella in the mouth can wind up causing problems in the gut. Remember, as we swallow, the bacteria hitch a ride through the rest of our digestive tract. Research has found that when strains of klebsiella populated the gut, they caused a strong inflammatory immune response in some of the test subjects.

How does this relate to cleaning the tongue?

Well, klebsiella is facultative anaerobic bacteria. That means that while they can live in environments with regular levels of oxygen, they really thrive in low-oxygen environments.

And where is the most prolific low oxygen environment located in the mouth?

Yep. When the tongue isn’t cleaned regularly, it creates a low-oxygen environment where bacteria like Klebsiella can thrive. In fact, the majority of the microbes in our mouths live on our tongues.

As we’ve shared before, the first strategy for balancing our oral flora is to maintain thin biofilms in the mouth.

Thick biofilms create low-oxygen environments, which enables thug bugs like klebsiella to build their numbers.

However, using oral hygiene techniques to maintain thin biofilms on our teeth and tongue creates an oxygen-rich environment, which discourages thug bugs while simultaneously encouraging health-giving microbes to thrive.

How to clean the tongue…

Cleaning the tongue is really simple, but it involves a little more than just brushing your tongue.

Step one is to get the ‘gunk’ (biofilm) off of our tongue in order to remove the low-oxygen environment. And brushing the tongue simply doesn’t remove the gunk.

Our preferred device for step one is a tongue cleaner, and oral hygiene tool that’s been used for centuries in the traditional Indian medicine practice called, ‘Ayurveda’.

Take your tongue cleaner (or spoon, with the bowl facing downwards, towards your tongue) and reach as far back on your tongue as is comfortable. Then, using gentle pressure, drag your tool down your tongue from the back (near your throat) to the front (towards the tip of your tongue). Then rinse the gunk off your tongue cleaner or spoon.

If you’ve never done this before, please, go do it right now.

You’ll never stop cleaning your tongue once you see the sheer volume of biofilm that comes off a tongue that hasn’t been scraped regularly.

Do this quick scrape 3-4 times and then spit and rinse. Not only will your mouth be healthier, but many people also find that this increases their ability to taste subtle flavors in foods.

https://orawellness.com/tongue-cleaning-importance/

Have you ever looked at your toothbrush under a microscope?

I have, and it’s pretty freaky when you see all the little goobers that are clinging to the bristles.

A toothbrush is a great place for thug bugs to hang out, just waiting for another chance to recolonize your mouth.

To stop your toothbrushes from becoming a petri dish, you simply need to understand the environment that these thug bugs need to thrive.

By removing one or more of these conditions, you can rest easy with the knowledge that your toothbrushes are not being used as thug bug nurseries.

Fortunately, it’s really simple to keep your toothbrush free from thug bugs without having to spend any money on those newfangled toothbrush sanitizers.

Getting to know thug bugs…

The bacteria implicated with gum disease are called ‘gram-negative bacteria’.

They are anaerobic, which simply means that they thrive in low-oxygen environments.

If it had to be described as the perfect space for thug bugs, it would be a warm, dark, moist, low-oxygen environment. This is why thug bugs grow so well in oral gum pockets.

Knowing this, it’s easy to stop your toothbrush from being a thug bug sanctuary. All you need to do is remove one or more of the conditions that they require.

Here are three simple strategies you can use to keep your toothbrush germ-free.

1. Let your toothbrush fully dry out between brushings.

To allow your toothbrush to fully dry out before you use it again, you need to have more than one brush and rotate through them during the week.

This allows each brush to fully dry out before it’s used again. Since thug bugs require a moist environment, allowing the brush to dry fully helps to prevent them from living on your brush.

2. Give your brush a sunbath.

Sunlight is a powerful cleaner/disinfectant. 

Leaving your brush on a sunny windowsill for the day will allow it to fully dry and it will also take advantage of the disinfecting power of natural sunlight.

The best part about this strategy is that it’s free. So, you don’t have to purchase one of those fancy ‘brush sanitizers’ and wonder whether it’s doing its job to clean your brush.

3. Soak the bristles in hydrogen peroxide overnight.

For anyone who doesn’t have a sunny windowsill and who only has one toothbrush, here’s a third option to keep it free from thug bugs.

Just add some peroxide (3% is fine) into a small glass and put the brush head (bristles down) into the peroxide overnight.

Peroxide is a very oxygen-rich environment. So, it does a very good job of robbing these low-oxygen-environment-loving thug bugs of a major condition they need to survive.

When you’re ready to use your brush, simply remove it from the peroxide, give it a quick rinse with water, and you’re all set to begin your brushing routine.

But never try to clean it in the dishwasher or microwave…

One more note, never try to clean your toothbrush by putting it in the dishwasher or microwave. 

The high temperatures will damage the brush and you may also wind up damaging your dishwasher and/or microwave.

https://orawellness.com/3-easy-ways-to-keep-thug-bugs-from-growing-on-your-toothbrush/

When it comes to increasing oral health awareness in the family, it’s important to remember that brushing and flossing aren’t enough to attain or maintain good dental health.

98% of every man, woman, and child in the United States has some form of oral disease. And among those folks, 90% of adults and 65% of 15-year-olds specifically have signs of active gum disease.

So if brushing and flossing alone created oral health and most people did at least one of these things habitually, wouldn’t these numbers be much, much lower?

Parents want the best for their children at all times. For example, many of us were raised on Twinkies and Lucky Charms (actually, I preferred Ding Dongs and Trix 🙂 –just name your poison). However, parents today want to give their children the finest start possible, especially if they themselves did not have the best nutritious start.

Circling back to our oral hygiene routine, it’s vital to note that children learn a great deal from seeing their parents go about their daily lives. As a result, taking charge of our dental health is the best thing we can do to enhance oral health for everyone in the family.

What is conscious flossing?

The term “conscious flossing” describes bringing awareness and attention to the routine habit of flossing.

By paying attention while flossing, a lot can be learned about what’s going on in our mouths, and this information can have a huge impact on the ability to create greater oral health.

How to floss consciously

1.  Start with a piece of floss that’s long enough for you to be able to use a new segment of floss between each set of teeth.

2.  Stop and look at the floss after each flossing point. Look for any discoloration on the floss. Any color (blood or yellowish color) is a clear sign that you have an active infection in the gum pockets around those teeth.

3.  Step three requires some courage, so be strong! 🙂 Smell the floss. Yep, smell it after each contact you clean. A bad smell on the floss is also a sign of an active infection in the gum pockets around those teeth. And yes, if you find any smelly floss, that directly contributes to the smell from your mouth that your partner has come to recognize as normal.

4.  As you floss, feel for any pain, sensitivity, or signs of swelling.

Wrapping up…

Once your children see you floss consciously, they will begin to do the same.

Everyone in the family will have a better understanding of how to create greater oral health in their own life. That’s what we call a win/win for all!!!

https://orawellness.com/how-to-create-greater-oral-health-for-the-whole-family/

Brushing your teeth every morning and night doesn’t guarantee you’re giving your mouth all the attention it needs.

Having a thorough dental care routine that goes beyond just brushing your teeth, and ensuring you have the right tools in your bathroom cupboard, can take your oral health to another level and give you a good clean.

Here are our top tips for ensuring a healthy mouth and enamel.

Why is enamel so important?

The enamel on your teeth is a protective outer layer on each tooth. It is the hardest and most highly mineralized substance in your body. Every time you eat and drink, you expose your teeth to acids and bacteria that are in your food. This would seriously harm teeth if it weren’t for tooth enamel. It’s the most visible part of the tooth, and it’s what people see when you smile or open your mouth.

When enamel is damaged or starts to decay, you cannot restore it: enamel simply doesn’t grow back. Sensitivity to hot and cold foods will occur. Here are a few oral hygiene steps to follow to ensure the maximum upkeep of tooth enamel.

Brush regularly (but not too hard)

Many people brush regularly, but simply don’t brush enough for their teeth to stay clean.

It is recommended to brush just before bed and at one other time during the day with fluoride toothpaste. Using an electric toothbrush is better for you and your enamel than manual toothbrushes for several reasons. They are constantly rotating and cleaning as you move over your teeth and they rotate at a far higher speed than you could achieve with your hand, providing a deeper clean.

Thus they can help to get rid of surface stains without applying too much pressure on the tooth’s surface.

Use a mouthwash

Drinks high in sugar, like fizzy drinks, are the number one culprits as they are tremendously high in sugar and very acidic. This combination accelerates the loss of your tooth enamel.

A good mouthwash can go where toothbrushes and floss can’t to rid your mouth of the same debris that irritates the gum line and causes gingivitis. Add a quality alcohol-free mouthwash to your oral care regime to get the most thorough clean you can, even when you’re on the go.

Pick the correct toothpaste

One common misconception when it comes to oral hygiene and tooth enamel is that teeth whitening formulas are healthy. However, whitening toothpaste that contains peroxide can be too harsh on your enamel due to the peroxide content which can damage your enamel and can cause increased and unwanted sensitivity.

Instead, choose a toothpaste that gently removes stains without the use of peroxide. The vital ingredient to protecting your enamel is fluoride, which helps to remineralize your enamel and protects your teeth’s sensitivity.

Floss properly

Like brushing, flossing must be done properly so that, when you reach between teeth, you get to the plaque not reached by your toothbrush.

Brushing only gets around 50% of the plaque buildup, so spending a few minutes each day flossing helps to get to those hard-to-reach areas.

Ideally, use a floss tape that can be more gentle on gums, and make sure to floss morning and evening.

https://www.dentalhealth.org/blog/brushing-and-beyond-taking-care-of-your-oral-health