Tongue Scraping: The Dental Trend That Might Not Love Your Heart Back

Turns out, scraping your tongue is more popular than ever—Google searches for "tongue scraper" have nearly doubled in the past 20 years. While this centuries-old dental habit is praised for its ability to freshen breath and even improve your sense of taste, some experts are waving a caution flag when it comes to your heart.

Dr. Bradley Serwer, an interventional cardiologist, explains there’s a well-established link between good oral hygiene and heart health. "Gingivitis or a bad gum infection has been known to cause problems with the heart on many different levels," he says. So, at first glance, keeping your mouth clean sounds like a win for your ticker.

Tongue scraping, which involves removing bacteria, food particles, and dead cells from the tongue’s surface, can be done with a toothbrush or special tools you can pick up for less than $10 at the pharmacy. Dental pros like Dr. Whitney White recommend gentle, once-daily scraping to help keep your breath fresh and your mouth healthy.

But here’s where things get a little dicey: overzealous tongue scraping can cause tiny cuts on your tongue. According to Dr. Serwer, these "macroscopic cuts" give bacteria a backstage pass into your bloodstream—a one-way ticket to potential heart infections like endocarditis. That’s one dental plot twist nobody asked for.

As if that’s not enough, Dr. White points out that scraping too hard or too often can mess with your tongue’s balance of good bacteria. Some of those microbes help your body produce nitric oxide, which keeps your blood pressure in check. So, ironically, going too hard on the tongue scraper could lead to higher blood pressure.

Experts agree that while maintaining healthy gums with regular brushing and flossing far outweighs the risks, the perks of tongue scraping are actually pretty minimal. If you do want to keep scraping, moderation is key—gentle is the name of the game. Dr. White says it’s not a must in your dental routine and shouldn’t replace the basics: twice-daily brushing with fluoride toothpaste and daily flossing.

The bottom line? Your mouth and your heart are closer friends than you might think, so treat them both kindly. Sometimes, less really is more—even when it comes to your tongue.