10 Fun Tongue Facts

We talk a lot about your teeth and gums, but many times we gloss over your tongue. But the tongue needs special care since it can easily get built up with unhealthy bacteria which causes bad breath.

An ideal method to take care of your tongue is with a tongue scraper. They are helpful in cleaning bacteria away and keeping it healthy. Once you have scraped enough so that your bacteria build-up diminishes, you only need to scrape your tongue a few times a week. You will notice your fresher breath right away.

Here are some fun tongue facts that will help you appreciate and make you want to take good care of your amazing tongue.

1. One taste bud has 50-100 taste cells. No single cell can identify both sweet and bitter.

2. The tongue can pick up a fifth taste and the Japanese named it umami. It is the chemical responsible for glutamate.

3. The blue whale has the largest tongue. It is the size of an elephant and weighs 5,400 lbs.

4. The tongue is the strongest muscle in the body and the only muscle that is connected only at one end.

5. The tongue heals faster than any other part of the body.

6. Using a tongue scraper to clean your tongue is proven to prevent heart attacks, pneumonia, premature births, diabetes, osteoporosis and infertility in men.

7. If your tongue has a white rash on it, if may mean you have a fungus. Contact us as soon as possible.

8. The human tongue is as unique to you as your fingerprints since it comes in various shapes and has a variable number of taste buds.

9. Almost half of all the bacteria in your mouth live on your tongue.

10. Your tongue never stops working. Even when you sleep it is pushing saliva into your throat.

If you would like to learn more about how to take proper care of your tongue, contact Wurzbach Parkway Family Dental today.