How to Clean Your Tongue Without Gagging
Try a desensitization process on your gag reflex., Distract yourself from anticipating your gag reflex., Breathe through your nose while cleaning your tongue., Clean your tongue on an empty stomach., Do the best you can to clean your tongue.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Try a desensitization process on your gag reflex.
While you might assume that your gag reflex is set in stone, it may in fact be possible for you to retrain and reduce it.
Basically, you want to slowly and steadily take yourself to your gagging limit, which will over time creep further back on your tongue.Stick your tongue out as far as possible, and press it down against the bottom of your mouth.
Start to to gently work your brush or scraper back from the tip of your tongue.
When you just begin to feel the beginning of your gag reflex, stop moving back and gently massage that area of the tongue for ten seconds.
Repeat this process once or twice per day, and you may find that you are able push your gag threshold further back in your mouth over time. -
Step 2: Distract yourself from anticipating your gag reflex.
Especially if you’re anxious or have had problems with gagging before, you may begin feeling an anticipatory gag reflex before you actually reach your threshold.
See if you can instead take your mind off what you’re doing.Try humming a tune while you clean, or even just try saying “aaaaahhhhh” like you might when the doctor checks your throat.
Make a tight fist with your thumb tucked inside.
There is an element of distraction through pain here, but also some evidence that accessing a pressure point in your palm can actually reduce your gag reflex., For many people, breathing through the mouth seems to increase the gag reflex.
Focus on breathing through your nose while cleaning your mouth, and see if your results improve.Taking shallower, more rapid breaths can also help reduce the gag reflex in some people., While the correlation is not universal nor entirely clear, your gag reflex may increase in proportion to the fullness of your stomach.
Essentially, if you’ve just eaten a big breakfast, you may gag more easily than you would have before the meal.Also, if gagging causes you to vomit, there are obvious practical benefits to not having a full stomach at the time. , Your tongue can harbor up to 40,000 types of bacteria at any one time, many of which can cause bad breath and potentially lead to a range of other more serious dental and medical concerns.
Most of the bacteria hang out on the back of your tongue, but if you simply can’t get back that far without gagging, at least clean the parts of your tongue you can tolerate.
You’ll still be improving your oral health.While it can’t clear away the caked on layers of tongue bacteria like a good scraper or brush, an antimicrobial mouthwash (like Listerine) can kill a significant number of mouth bacteria.While best used in combination with proper tongue cleaning, antimicrobial rinses alone are better than nothing for those with severe gagging issues. -
Step 3: Breathe through your nose while cleaning your tongue.
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Step 4: Clean your tongue on an empty stomach.
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Step 5: Do the best you can to clean your tongue.
Detailed Guide
While you might assume that your gag reflex is set in stone, it may in fact be possible for you to retrain and reduce it.
Basically, you want to slowly and steadily take yourself to your gagging limit, which will over time creep further back on your tongue.Stick your tongue out as far as possible, and press it down against the bottom of your mouth.
Start to to gently work your brush or scraper back from the tip of your tongue.
When you just begin to feel the beginning of your gag reflex, stop moving back and gently massage that area of the tongue for ten seconds.
Repeat this process once or twice per day, and you may find that you are able push your gag threshold further back in your mouth over time.
Especially if you’re anxious or have had problems with gagging before, you may begin feeling an anticipatory gag reflex before you actually reach your threshold.
See if you can instead take your mind off what you’re doing.Try humming a tune while you clean, or even just try saying “aaaaahhhhh” like you might when the doctor checks your throat.
Make a tight fist with your thumb tucked inside.
There is an element of distraction through pain here, but also some evidence that accessing a pressure point in your palm can actually reduce your gag reflex., For many people, breathing through the mouth seems to increase the gag reflex.
Focus on breathing through your nose while cleaning your mouth, and see if your results improve.Taking shallower, more rapid breaths can also help reduce the gag reflex in some people., While the correlation is not universal nor entirely clear, your gag reflex may increase in proportion to the fullness of your stomach.
Essentially, if you’ve just eaten a big breakfast, you may gag more easily than you would have before the meal.Also, if gagging causes you to vomit, there are obvious practical benefits to not having a full stomach at the time. , Your tongue can harbor up to 40,000 types of bacteria at any one time, many of which can cause bad breath and potentially lead to a range of other more serious dental and medical concerns.
Most of the bacteria hang out on the back of your tongue, but if you simply can’t get back that far without gagging, at least clean the parts of your tongue you can tolerate.
You’ll still be improving your oral health.While it can’t clear away the caked on layers of tongue bacteria like a good scraper or brush, an antimicrobial mouthwash (like Listerine) can kill a significant number of mouth bacteria.While best used in combination with proper tongue cleaning, antimicrobial rinses alone are better than nothing for those with severe gagging issues.
About the Author
Kimberly Miller
Creates helpful guides on DIY projects to inspire and educate readers.
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