Is it a coincidence that we usually talk about dental brushing or toothbrushing and not lingual or oral brushing?
HMM... NOT REALLY!
Dear organ necessary for chewing, tasting, or even speaking and if necessary expressing the feeling of love, the tongue is also the headquarters of a plethora of bacteria: a "French Kiss" of 10 seconds, it is about 80 million bacteria exchanged.
It's okay, we know why hypochondriacs and hygienists tirelessly torture their lingual mucosa. However, in the vast majority of cases, this action is not of interest and can even be harmful.
YET THE MEDIA AND ORAL HEALTH ACTORS SAY THAT... YES, BUT NO
Of course, the oral health industry and the media, when they decide to get involved, wrongly encourage us to do so. Squeegees to strip the inside of the cheeks and the palate, double-sided brushes specially designed for lingual brushing, scrapers of all kinds... They show us all the colours, but is it really to our advantage?
Obviously, in some very specific cases, it is necessary to take significant care of your language. But, however, there is no need to systematically clean it up. Regular cleaning of this muscular organ destroys a pile of bacteria necessary for digestion and protection against a host of harmful microorganisms. It can also lead to micro-lesions, which can themselves cause various infections. In short, nothing good for your taste buds.
SHE'S DOING VERY WELL ON HER OWN.
The tongue actually cleans itself, thanks in particular to salivation and gentle rubbing against the palate. Above all, do not rush it, except in exceptional cases, once again. Moreover, the statements made by Doctor Dridi to Agence France Presse (AFP) on this subject have been widely reported in the press.
Top Santé, LCI and RTL explained the reasons why it is better to avoid this practice, by taking AFP more or less far back.
BAD BREATH, BAD REFLEX!
The desire to improve their breath guides a large proportion of people who brush their tongues regularly. As PourquoiDocteur explains, the source of halitosis is often elsewhere and is effectively treated.
The few specific cases mentioned above, in which lingual brushing may be recommended, are as follows:
- When the tongue is too charged and becomes whitish, this may be due to a treatment that reduces salivation
- When the language is rusty, sometimes blackish, especially among smokers
- Bad breath in even more specific cases
Moreover, Dr. Wahnich has made a precise summary of it on his blog.
A FEW THINGS NOT FUNNY AT ALL
While speaking languages, we learn from Science et Avenir and BFMTV that making holes in them is not the best idea and that the presence of various forms of persistent mouth ulcers, large, even painless, or on the contrary a feeling of unexplained burns require medical consultation as soon as possible. Indeed, certain pathologies that are sometimes unknown, such as syphilis, tongue cancer and the so-called "tongue of fire" syndrome, exist and can be treated or avoided.
THE GOOD NEWS
As a result, for those who wondered, Y-Brush is still the best toothbrush available on the market. No need, and no way to brush your tongue. On the other hand, brushing your teeth perfectly in 10 seconds is always a great idea.
