Effective Tongue Cleaning: Methods & Benefits for Fresh Breath

The next time you have bad breath, look to your tongue as the culprit. Bacterial growth on your tongue can cause chronic stinky breath and lead to other tongue diseases. A common misconception pins bad breath on not brushing your teeth, but disinfecting your tongue properly can lead to fresh breath and better dental hygiene. With a clean toothbrush, tongue scraper and a chug of mouthwash, you can be on a path to a cleaner tongue and mouth.

Things You'll Need

• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Mouthwash
• Tongue scraper

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Instructions

• 1

  Apply a small amount of toothpaste onto a toothbrush and gently brush your tongue in a front-to-back motion. Rinse out your mouth with warm water.

• 2

  Scrape your tongue with a tongue scraper tool to remove any excess white residue. Hold the scraper horizontal to your lips and apply light pressure on your tongue as you scrape from front to back. Some toothbrushes have tongue scrapers attached to the back of the toothbrush head. You can purchase scrapers at your local grocery store or pharmacy.

• 3

  Rinse your mouth with bacterial-fighting mouthwash for one to two minutes. The solution will kill off any microscopic germs left on your tongue after scraping and brushing.