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Causes of Halitosis

Tongue Scraper Will Remove Bad Breath Bacteria

by Bailey Daniels

Many people brush their teeth to keep their breath fresh. Others might chew gum, rinse with products like Listerine or Scope, and floss regularly. While all of these are definitely recommended as part of a fresh breath regimen, the most effective (and perhaps often neglected) method of freshening one’s breath is the regular use of a tongue scraper.

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?

While some people brush their tongue with their toothbrush while brushing their teeth, there are three reasons why this isn’t too effective.

1) They often fail to reach the back of their tongue, which is where most of the bad breath bacteria live. Besides, seriously trying to reach the back of your tongue with a toothbrush could easily set off a gag reflex.

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.

The shape, smooth surface, and the price of a tongue scraper make it the most conducive thing out there when it comes to removing the source of bad breath. One tongue scraper could easily last for a year or two, making it well worth the money spent (they normally go for around 10 dollars, sometimes less).

Regular tongue scraping is a cheap, healthy means of keeping your breath fresh and your mouth healthy. Used once or twice per day, a tongue scraper will be much more useful than gums, mouthwashes, or anything else that may cover up bad breath. It directly attacks (and removes) the root of the issue.

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