How to clean your tongue to improve your health

(Updated 25/10/21)

Fact Checked

Tongue Before any cleaning. It appears to be coated with a thick mat of yeast, fungi, bacteria and dead tissue. Take note of the yellowish colour of the tonsils and other tissues of the back of the mouth and compare this with the same tissue in the "After" photo below.

Tongue after several weeks of cleaning. There is still some room for improvement but what a difference! This person is visibly in better health and feels like it. Note the healthy colour of the tonsils and surrounding tissues. Compare this with the original photo.

When looking carefully at a tongue, if there is a mat of white, grey or brown matter on it, this is most likely made up of yeast, fungi and bacteria, and dead tissue. Think of this as the "Mother Lode" for infecting the entire body. These bugs will continually shed, infecting other body parts, including the gums, sinuses, gut, and even the lungs, bladder, and skin. So every time the person swallows, coughs, sneezes and even breathes, bugs from the tongue ingest deep into the body, even during sleep.

Chronic infections such as these are common, and they gradually wear people down.

Bad breath may be the first indication of an infected tongue.

If anybody has chronic health issues, such as fatigue or where the gut, sinuses, and lungs are affected, consider that an overgrowth of bugs in the mouth may contribute to the person's ill health and lack of recovery.

Unless your tongue is pristinely clean, please do this using either a manual or electric toothbrush.

1. Put a little non-fluoridated toothpaste on the dry toothbrush.

2. Brush the tongue back and forth, right up to the gag-point (you'll get better at this, just like a sword-swallower does with regular practice!).

3. Then brush the teeth and gums.

4. Rinse and gargle with water, preferably salted.

5. Spit it all out - do not swallow the contaminated water.

6. Do this twice a day, every day and for life.

7. You may gargle once a week with a fluoride-free mouth wash.

8. Floss at least once a day. Watch the video for guidance about flossing.

Does a tongue-scraper do a better job?

Copper Tongue Scraper from India

Having looked at many tongues, I have concluded that tongue scraping is not as effective as brushing the tongue. Think of it this way: if you have moss on your path, you can scrape it off with a shovel, but you do not really get into the nooks and crannies, and the moss will quickly grow back. If you use a water-blaster instead, the job will be far more thorough.

A toothbrush with a bit of toothpaste can get into all of the tiny crevices of the tongue. It will whisk out all of those bothersome bugs and dead tissue.

It can take several weeks to get a lasting improvement, but it sure is worth doing!

The health benefits of a squeaky-clean tongue and mouth can be surprising.

Health Benefits reported from regular tongue cleaning include:

1. Less snoring

2. Clear sinuses

3. Healthier gums

4. No more bad breath

5. Fewer and shorter sore throats

6. Better digestion

7. Fewer and shorter urinary tract infections

8. Healthier skin

9. More energy

Please bear in mind that the people reporting one or more of these health benefits have been doing a lot of other interventions as well, so it is not just tongue cleaning to be credited. But the fact is that if a person has an infected tongue, any gut issues, for example, will be compromised if it remains the way it is.

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My personal Story

About ten years ago, I began to have trouble with food trapped in what appeared to be pocketing to the left of my mouth behind the tongue. I was also beginning to snore at night, and I had constant bad breath no matter what I did to prevent it. The food trap was particularly worrisome because I could feel the area was constantly inflamed, and chronic inflammation is the precursor to cancer, in this case, tongue or throat cancer.

The dentist was also warning me that my gums were inflamed and receding. No matter how carefully I brushed and flossed my teeth, the gum health failed to improve.

I went to an Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist to investigate the swallowing problem. He confirmed something abnormal and advised I needed a closer exploration under general anaesthetic. I declined and went away to do more on my own, figuring out the root causes of these problems. After all, I had gone most of my life in good health, so I wondered what had changed?

Over the years, I have looked at many tongues but never had I closely looked at my own! When I finally did look closely, I was rather shocked. My tongue was far from healthy in appearance.

Gary's tongue today. Clean and healthy.

The result has been quite remarkable:

• I was no longer snoring other than when lying on my back.

• I had less bad breath.

• I had the healthiest gums in many years!

• Swallowing has improved, and I'm having fewer episodes of food trapped.