How to Clean Your Tongue in 5 Easy Steps

It’s not enough to only brush your teeth regularly. In order to prevent bad breath and white residue, you also need to clean your tongue. It’s not a rocket science, don’t worry, you just need a tongue scraper or a toothbrush with a scraper and these 5 easy steps to effectively clean your tongue.

1. Scrape the Tongue First

It’s ideal to start washing your mouth with a tongue scrape. Take the scraper and start scraping from the back of your tongue to the front. Rinse the scraper after each stroke and don’t press too hard. It’s a common myth that you need to press as hard as possible to effectively clean your tongue. But really, you can only cause soreness and nothing more. Also, try not to give yourself a gag reflex, it’s not very pleasant.

2. Rinse Your Mouth with Water

After you’re done with your first scraping, you should rinse your mouth with clean water. No mouthwashes just yet, this time just take a good sip of water, swish it around and underneath your tongue and spit. If you feel like you need more than one rinse, repeat once again.

3. Apply Toothpaste

Now comes the actual cleaning part. Take a small amount of toothpaste and spread it evenly across the surface of your tongue. Spread it as far back as you can reach, but again, don’t start gaging. Choose a toothpaste that doesn’t dry your mouth. It would be ideal if you could leave the toothpaste on your tongue while you’re brushing your teeth. Still, if you can’t, just spit as soon as you start feeling uncomfortable.

4. Scrape the Tongue Again

Whether you’ve managed to keep the toothpaste on your tongue while brushing your teeth or not, now it’s the time for a second scrape. Scrape the tongue in a same way you did in the beginning, this time taking the excess toothpaste off the tongue as well. Rinse your mouth well with a lot of water, then floss.

5. Finish with a Mouthwash

woman mouthwash

Finish this routine with an anti – bacterial mouth wash. Make sure to choose one that is not too strong, because it can cause a burning sensation on a tongue that’s just been scrapped. Take a good sip of the mouthwash and swish it around your mouth for at least 30 seconds. Spit, rinse your mouth with water once again, and that’s it. All done!

Follow this routine daily and you are sure to get rid of the bad breath and the white residue on your tongue. However, if this does not help, you might have a bigger bacterial problem and you need to look for an advice from your dentist. You will get a special toothpaste, mouthwash, or maybe even some antibiotics if the problem is really serious. Don’t put it off for too long, because if left untreated this can cause a bigger problem that will need both more effort and more time to solve.

About the author

Sarah

I’m a free spirit who likes to travel, cook and fly. Licensed paraglider pilot, I spend all my spare time flying. In the meantime, I like to share my recipes and travel experiences.

2 Comments

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  • This is exactly what I do every day :) I just don’t keep the toothpaste on my tongue while brushing my teeth, though.

  • I have started following all the steps and must say good so far. I can talk to people without any fear of what my breath smell could be. Thank u so much. I am still experiencing how long the freshness lasts before attempting a second brushing as the day goes.