Use a Tongue Scraper to Fight Bad Breath

By Alan Rawlings

One of the most effective means of preventing bad breath is a simple, cheap method that doesn't involve buying expensive mouthwashes, gums, or any other product that requires a regular monthly expenditure. By using a tongue scraper once or twice per day, you can eliminate most of the root of your bad breath with a very simple to follow process.

There are small buds on the back of the tongue known as papillae. If you look at the back of your tongue closely, you'll see that it's not at all flat. Inside these grooves live small bacteria, and these act as the main cause of bad breath as we know it. Part of the reason for this is due to the lack of oxygen these bacteria receive since they're buried within the ridges inside your tongue. The small amount of oxygen results can in really bad smells.

While using mouthwash and brushing your teeth will both help with this, they'll only mask the source of the issue and won't really attack the heart of it. Scraping your tongue will gather up a good portion of these bacteria, and essentially removes them from your tongue.

Tongue scraping is the easiest and cheapest means of removing these bacteria. Many people prefer to use their toothbrush to scrape the surface of their tongues when they brush their teeth. This isn't the best idea, and I'll explain why:

1. It's very, very difficult to get a toothbrush to reach the back of your tongue. Not only can it cause your gag reflex to kick in, but it's somewhat dangerous. Without reaching the back of your tongue, you're not removing the strongest sources of odor.

2) The bristles on a toothbrush are too rough for your tongue and can do permanent damage to the soft tissue on your tongue.

3) Even if you can somehow fit a toothbrush into your mouth so that it reaches the back of your tongue, a toothbrush is narrow and won't be able to cover the whole span of your tongue from left to right.

A tongue scraper, on the other hand, is smooth, often bendable, and wide enough to cover your tongue's surface area as it generally removes the bacteria from the back of your tongue and drags it out of your mouth. They're also extremely affordable.

If you've tried gums, mouthwashes, brushing, and everything else imaginable, look no further than the tongue scraper as your best bet for directly removing the source of bad breath. You'll be glad you did. - 29879

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