In recent years, the use of the tongue scraper has increased in popularity, and with good reason. They’re very effective. Many people mistake the root of bad breath and assume it’s caused by eating the wrong foods, or that it lives in the teeth and gums. While this is true, the main source of bad breath comes from the back part of the tongue.

Contrary to popular belief, the biggest cause of bad breath is bacteria that lives and grows on the back of your tongue. Since there are deep grooves in your tongue (the taste buds in the back of your tongue, these are called papillae), bacteria thrive within these grooves grows and is directly responsible for the bad smells that may emanate from your mouth. Since bacteria in this kind of environment doesn’t get much oxygen, this is exactly what makes it smell bad.

There are methods for temporarily killing or masking these bacteria, but they’re expensive and only temporary. While they’re effective to an extent, the individual most effective method involved is the use of a tongue scraper. Why spend money trying to temporarily kill off bacteria when you can simply remove them?

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. The width of a toothbrush isn’t enough to cover the width of your tongue. You need something wider.

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.

The use of a tongue scraper is absolutely recommended for anyone looking to take care of their breath. Whether you’re doing this and only this, or combining it with mouthwashes or other breath care systems, any dental professional would agree that it’s always something you should do.

For the best background on the tongue scraper, visit our tongue scraper background site.