Thursday 17/April/2025 – 10:39 PM
An American dentist has recently sparked widespread controversy after warning of a common usual oral care that may have serious health risks, reaching the risk of fatal heart complications.
Medical warning of a common habit that may lead to fatal heart problems
Dr. Keelsey Loving, of the Celebrate Dental & Braces Center in Nevada, revealed that the habit of scraping the tongue, which has witnessed great popularity on social media, may cause precise wounds in the tissue of the tongue, allowing bacteria to infiltrate into the bloodstream, according to the New York Post.
Loving said in a statement that this practice, which many are accepted as a means of getting rid of bad breath, can lead in some cases to eager inflammation, which is a rare and dangerous inflammation that affects the lining of the heart, and the associated death rates reach about 30%, especially in people with defects in the heart valves or who use medical devices such as heart rate organizations.
The doctor emphasized that the recent statistics indicate that between 10% and 30% of Americans suffer from bad breath, which makes them vulnerable to asymmetry to the tongue that is marketed as an immediate solution, although its violent use may harm the health of the mouth and the tongue.
For its part, the University of California in Los Angeles warned that excessive cleaning of the tongue, whether using a brush or scraper, can negatively affect the natural balance of beneficial bacteria inside the mouth, which may lead to wider health complications, including high blood pressure.
On the other hand, Tenica Patterson, a dental health specialist at the Cleveland Clinic, believes that the scraping of a moderate tongue can be effective in removing bacteria and plaque and improving the smell of mouth, provided that the correct methods are followed and not to use sharp or pressing tools.
Dr. Lovland concludes his advice to return to the basics in daily care in the mouth, such as using a toothbrush twice a day, cleaning with a thread, and visiting the dentist regularly, stressing that gently cleaning the tongue using a soft brush is a safer option than using solid metal or solid plastic.
