3 Signs You Need to Replace Your Tongue Scraper
Posted on: 19 April 2017
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More and more people are getting clued into the importance of cleaning their tongues. Everyone already knows how vital is it for their oral health to brush and floss their teeth, but the tongue can also play host to bacteria. As this builds up along the surface of the tongue, your breath can start to smell, and having more bacteria in your mouth is obviously bad news for your oral health.
Luckily enough, you can use a tongue scraper to get rid of that gunk, but you can't keep using the same one indefinitely. Here are just three signs that you need to change your tongue scraper.
1. When It Starts to Smell
The sign to beat all signs: if your tongue scraper has started to smell, you need to switch it out for a new one. After all, one of the main reasons to use a tongue scraper is to rid yourself of those of volatile sulphur compounds (VSCs) that thrive along your tongue and start giving you bad breath. If the scraper itself smells bad, that isn't exactly a ringing endorsement that it will perform its role effectively. Unfortunately, bacteria can build up along the surface of a tongue scraper over time and start producing its own odour. When you get a whiff of that odour, it's time to get a new scraper.
2. When the Surface Becomes Dull
As you run your tongue scraper along the length of your tongue, the end of it scrapes along the surface to pull away any bacteria and nasty build-up. Unfortunately, the tongue scraper won't be able to do its job as effectively if the scraping edge starts to become dull. When this happens, it won't be able to properly dig in and get all that gunk out of your mouth. You'll probably start to feel that it isn't quite as sharp anymore by the way it feels on your tongue. It might be tempting to start pushing down harder, but this won't make much of a difference. Instead, you need to buy a new tongue scraper.
3. When the Handle Becomes Too Flexible
The edge of the scraper isn't the only thing that can become worn over time. As you use your tongue scraper, you need to press down to create a little bit of pressure. As you use your tongue scraper each day, the pressure will start to bend the handle. After a while, you'll find that you're struggling to get the scraper into the right position. Again, this is a sign that you need to pick up a new one.