Tongue depressor

A tongue depressor is a tool used in medical practice to depress the tongue to allow for examination of the mouth and throat. The most common modern tongue depressors are flat, thin, wooden blades, smoothed and rounded at both ends, but, historically, tongue depressors have been made of a variety of materials. Since they are inexpensive and difficult to clean, wooden tongue depressors are labeled for disposal after a single use.

Hobbyists and teachers have found a multitude of uses for tongue depressors (sometimes called "craft sticks" or "popsicle sticks") in their projects. Tongue depressors may be used to form so-called "stick bombs".

Earlier versions of depressors were made from balsa, pine, or redwood woods. For instance, tongue depressors from the American Civil War which were made from wood and metal exist.

Tongue depressers were also used by speech teachers to teach Deaf children how to pronounce certain sounds, such as "k" or "g"; however they often caused gagging instead.

In the novel Salem's Lot by Stephen King, to ward off vampires, a make-shift crucifix is made by criss-crossing two tongue depressors together with tape

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