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You clean your teeth regularly, but how frequently do you clean your tongue? The answer is never for many people, but your tongue can harbour bacteria and food debris, so cleaning it regularly can help freshen breath and reduce dental plaque buildup. You can clean your tongue with a tongue scraper or with a toothbrush.

Using a Tongue Scraper

To clean your tongue, stick it out as far as possible, placing your tongue scraper right to the back of the tongue. Then, gently move it forwards over the tongue to remove debris. Rinse thoroughly before repeating the process up to five times. Make sure you clean your tongue scraper thoroughly before putting it away.

Using a Toothbrush to Clean Your Tongue

Stick your tongue out as far as you can, and using a soft-bristled brush, gently clean it using back and forth movements. Rinse your toothbrush thoroughly afterwards.

You can clean your tongue as frequently as you brush your teeth, but if you only want to clean it once a day, do so last thing at night. The cleaner your mouth is before you sleep, the better, as you produce less saliva, and any remaining bacteria will thrive in drier conditions overnight.