How to Use a Tongue Cleaner

People have know for centuries that tongue cleaners are a good way to get rid of bad breath. The reason for this is that over seventy percent of the odors in the mouth come from bacteria on the tongue (this was established by research by Grapp in the 1930s and Tonzetich in the 1960s and 1970s). The layer of bacteria on the tongue includes mucus and food remnants and the bacteria are able to break these down and cause volatile odors in the mouth.

First of all, I’d like to recommend plastic ones that are not brittle, that are a bit flexible, and I don’t recommend metal ones because they can damage your tongue. It’s very important, whatever you do, not to traumatize your tongue, not to injure it. We’re talking about just removing the top mucus layer from the tongue.

Today there are many types of tongue cleaners available in pharmacies and over the internet. However, many people buy tongue cleaners and then don’t know how to use them.

However, it’s not enough just to clean the front of your tongue. This is not going to be very helpful, whether you use a toothbrush or a tongue cleaner. That’s because most of the bacteria and odor arise from the very back of the tongue, towards the throat.

What you have to is get back all the way towards your throat and clean it in this manner to get at the bacteria and mucus that cause the odor. Okay, it’s unpleasant. It does take some practice. You have to overcome the gagging reflex. But this is one of the most efficient ways to get rid of bad breath.

And as you can see after a deep tongue cleaning, the material that comes out is a combination of mucus, postnasal drip and bacteria from the very back of the tongue. It smells (smell it yourself or take my word for it), and it’s that type of smell that most people suffer from. So if you want to smell well, clean the back of your tongue gently, once a day, with a good plastic tongue cleaner. Take care not to press down too hard, don’t injure your tongue. And before bedtime, you can always rinse and gargle with an effective antibacterial mouthrinse. Other tips include eating a healthy breakfast (also cleans the tongue), drinking enough water, and flossing daily.

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