Dental health may not be the sexiest topic in wellness (personally, I'd much rather be reading up on the benefits of CBD and how to get abs), but it is an important one. Much of the attention goes toward getting brighter teeth and moisturized lips, and we tend to ignore one of the most important factors in our health: the tongue.
I'm not just talking about dental health, either. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners actually swear by a person's tongue as an indicator for their general wellness, too. I once attended an acupuncture appointment in which the first question the acupuncturist asked me was, "Can I see your tongue?" After reluctantly sticking it out, wondering if making this appointment had been a mistake, I learned that the color and texture of one's tongue is believed to help diagnose certain health conditions, like insomnia or anxiety.
Whether you buy into that analysis or not, your tongue should be taken care of just as well as any other part of your body. Beyond flossing and using a proper toothpaste, many experts advise adding a tongue scraper to your routine, which is a tool that—you guessed it—is meant to scrape your tongue free of bacteria and buildup.
I've seen this tool all over Instagram recently, and we've discussed it at length in our secret Facebook Group, but do tongue scrapers actually make much of a difference in our health? I turned to my go-to dental expert, Kevin Sands, DDS, for his input. Keep reading for four surprising reasons you should add this tool to your wellness routine.