Here are some fun 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, and the average person has 10,000 taste buds, of which 2,000 live under the tongue, inside the cheeks, on the roof of his mouth and on the lips.
2. There are five not four types of taste! Bitter, Sour, Salty and Sweet are the ones we all know about – but did you know that the fifth is “umami” which is actually the chemical responsible for MSG! And the tongue can only recognize tastes that are water soluble, which is why it tastes saltiness first – it is the quickest to dissolve!
3. No single taste cell can identify both sweet and bitter.
4. 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.
5. The record for the strongest tongue belongs to Thomas Blackstone, who lifted a 24 lb, 3 oz. weight that was hooked through his tongue. Lucky for him, the tongue also heals faster than any other part of the body!
6. The blue whale has the largest tongue – it is the size of an elephant and weighs 5400 lbs! The longest human tongue was measured at 3.86 inches from the tip to the back, and the widest was 3.1 inches wide at the widest point!
7. Your tongue never stops working. Even when you sleep it is pushing saliva into your throat.
8. AND there are 600, yes 600, types of bacteria that live in the mouth – Almost half of the 10-15 BILLION bacteria in your mouth dwell on your tongue! The bacterial population is so ecologically organized that the tip of your tongue may hold a completely different kind of bacteria than the middle or back of your tongue. You never want to rid your mouth completely of bacteria. A proper balance of bacteria is, indeed, crucial to a healthy mouth/body. But imagine what it does to your health when bacteria populations are out of balance as they can enter the bloodstream from the mouth!!!
Remember – the proper care of your tongue via the removal of excess bacteria with a tongue cleaner not only alleviates bad breath, but also can help to prevent serious risks to the rest of your health.
Stay tuned for more fun facts and useful information on how important using The Original TUNG Brush and Gel is for your breath, health and well-being!
