In January 2021, Nishkka Manglani started a small initiative in the UAE called #tonguescrapeUAE via an Instagram page called @tonguetales.ae to raise awareness for an ancient Ayurvedic self care technique called tongue scraping using a U-shaped copper tool to remove the buildup that occurs in our mouth overnight as part of the body’s natural detoxification process — it takes just seconds. She tells us more.
Cleaning our tongue by brushing it with our toothbrush just spreads is not the right way! Cleaning the tongue the right way every day helps to prevent bad breath and infections, enhances our sense of taste and helps to promote a healthy digestion — a healthy mouth is good for a healthy gut.
If you’re like how weird! please read on…”When COVID began in 2020, I ended up reading a lot of research that said those with a high load of bacterial activity in their oral microbiome faced more severe reactions after testing positive. Here’s the link to one such research by Dr. Victoria Sampson, BDS MFDS RCS Ed published in British Dental Journal,” says Nishkka.
This ancient Ayurvedic technique was one of the answers to help with reducing the bacterial overload as copper is naturally an antibacterial metal. No wonder Ayurveda knew this 5,000 years ago! The west is now catching up with it and there are plenty of doctors in the US and here in the UAE advocating the use of metal tongue cleaners.
“At home, my 9 year old special needs child suffered with bad breath. I saw a few pediatric dentists, pediatricians and homeopaths that worked on his digestion but it did not help me as much and as quickly as the humble copper tongue cleaner did. In one week, I kid you not, the breath had improved by about 70%. This led me to start this initiative. Just a 30 second self care ritual powered by ancient wisdom is all it takes to up your oral hygiene!” says Nishkka.
Even if you’re an oral hygiene star who brushes teeth twice a day, flosses regularly and dutifully visits the dentist every six months, you may still be missing one step that could help keep your mouth fresh and healthy. Tend to your tongue!!!
While most of those bacteria are the “good kind” that foster a healthy environment in your mouth, other kinds can cause bad breath, tooth decay and gum infections. So, cleaning your tongue is important to keep that bad bacteria, as well as food debris and dead cells that may accumulate there, from causing trouble.
@tonguetales.ae sells copper scrapers at a very affordable price of AED 19 so everyone can use one. Once you buy them they last for a long time, unlike plastic which need to be replaced every three months. A sustainable practice for our earth too!