How to Clean Your Tongue Effectively

Reviewed Nov 2023 by Our Content Experts

How are your oral health habits? Have you been cleaning your tongue properly?

People often rush through brushing their teeth (you should be brushing for at least 2 minutes!) and forget to clean their tongue. If you’re guilty of skipping your tongue, you could be compromising the health of your mouth.

A clean mouth includes the teeth, gums, and tongue. When you neglect to clean all of these, you’re leaving yourself open to side effects of poor oral hygiene, including bad breath or halitosis.

The good news is you can prevent bad breath by brushing away the bacteria and germs that collect on your tongue. Over half of oral halitosis cases are caused by germs on the tongue that can easily be cleaned away by your toothbrush. Find out how to clean your tongue properly for a healthy smile.

Can tongue scraping help get rid of bad breath?

Sure, tongue scraping can help remove built up residue on the tongue, but it’s not enough to maintain good oral health. In order to banish bad breath permanently, you should combine tongue scraping with good dental hygiene. This includes thoroughly brushing your teeth and tongue twice a day and flossing every day to remove debris.

While tongue scraping may be especially helpful for those with a coated tongue (a build up of residue, bacteria, and dead cells on the tongue) when coupled with good oral health practices, it’s just a temporary solution for halitosis when used on its own.

What tongue cleaning tools should you use?

Having a clean tongue and mouth starts with the right cleaning tools. Take a look at the three options to determine which is best for you.

Tongue scrapers

Made in both metal and plastic designs, tongue scrapers help ‘scrape’ debris off your tongue. Just place the scraper on the back of your tongue and gently pull it forward. Tongue scrapers can help temporarily reduce bad breath by removing most of the tongue’s germs and bacteria, but they pose the risk of damaging the tongue if not used gently.

Regular toothbrushes

You should be pretty familiar with this one (we hope!). While many people think using a regular toothbrush alone is enough to keep their tongue clean, this isn’t the case. Toothbrushes are made to clean smooth surfaces on teeth, not to get in all the tiny grooves on your rough tongue. They do remove some bacteria and debris, but shouldn’t be your only means of cleaning your tongue.

Specially made tongue brushes

Designed to get in all those crevices on the tongue, specially made tongue brushes are about as effective as tongue scrapers at removing germs. You can buy these on their own or in a combination product that features a regular toothbrush on one side and a tongue brush on the other.

How to clean your tongue

Clean your tongue once a day after brushing your teeth.

• Be sure to rinse your tongue cleaner before you use it to get rid of any food debris.
• Start at the back of your tongue, working your way to the front. You may have to do this a few times for a thorough clean if using a tongue brush.
• Don’t just clean the middle of your tongue – clean the entire top and side surfaces.
• Rinse your tongue cleaner and your mouth.

Please note: Scraping too aggressively can cause damage to the tongue and tastebuds. Be gentle!

How to scrape your tongue without gagging

Some people avoid tongue cleaning because they have a sensitive gag reflex. If this is you, try these tips to avoid triggering your gag reflex when cleaning your tongue:

• If you’re using a brush, work in small circular motions and eventually work your way to the back of the throat, stopping short of the area that triggers the gag reflex.
• If you’re using a tongue scraper, avoid placing it too far back into your mouth.
• Try flossing your tongue instead. This method won’t remove as much residue as scraping, but it does help reduce gag reflex.
• Relax! Gag reflex is your body’s way of protecting you from choking, so try to relax your tongue and throat muscles and distract yourself with pleasant thoughts.

Once you’ve started to clean your tongue daily, you’ll probably find your gag reflex desensitises. Persistence is key!