Say Bye-Bye to Bad Breath With This One Simple Step

Brushing, flossing, and regular teeth cleanings keep your mouth feeling fresh and your smile bright. But if you suffer from bad breath, you may be skipping one important part of a daily oral care routine. It’s the most effective way to remove the bacteria that build up on your tongue and cause your breath to stink, and it’s tongue-scraping.

“Around 90 percent of the bacteria that cause bad breath are found on your tongue,” says Whitney DiFoggio, RDH, BS, and founder of the blog Teeth Talk Girl. If you take a close-up look at your tongue in a mirror, you might notice tiny little dots covering the surface of your tongue. “Those are called papilla,” says DiFoggio. “Every time we eat or drink, food debris and waste products collect around those little dots. And after a while, they start to smell.”

Luckily — for everyone involved — tongue scraping is a super-simple way to get rid of those smelly leftovers plaguing the inside of your mouth. And it’ll only take a few seconds once a day to save your breath.

How to use a tongue scraper

“Start as far back as you can, then press the tongue scraper really gently along your tongue, slowly dragging it forward to the tip of your tongue,” says DiFoggio. “I always tell people you’ll be shocked by what comes off.” Just don’t press down too hard — that’ll damage your taste buds. 

After each scrape, run the tool under water. “Once you see gunk on the tongue scraper, rinse it off really well and then scrape again if you need to.”

How many times should you scrape your tongue?

That depends on which type of tongue scraper you’re using and how big it is. But the general rule of *tongue* (sorry) is to aim to scrape over the full surface at least once a day. “How much you get off from that first scrape will help you determine whether or not you want to scrape a few more times,” says DiFoggio. “I tell my patients that it’s OK to do it as many times as you need, as long as you’re being very gentle.” 

What kind of tongue scraper should you use?

“It comes down to personal preference,” says DiFoggio. “There are copper, stainless steel, and plastic types — it doesn’t matter which one you use as long as you use it right. And depending on which one you have, it needs to be cleaned differently.” She explains that plastic ones, just like toothbrushes, need to be fully replaced every three months. Copper and stainless steel versions will last longer, if they’re dishwasher-safe and run through the cycle there periodically. 

Can you use a toothbrush or spoon to scrape your tongue?

“Some toothbrushes have bristles on the opposite side of the brush that you can use to clean your tongue,” says DiFoggio. Those are convenient, easy to use, and will help get the job done. But you can also use a spoon to scrape your tongue. “I’ve had patients tell me using a spoon works,” she says. (Just be sure to thoroughly clean it afterward.) 

The Best Copper, Stainless Steel, and Plastic Tongue Scrapers