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How to Use a Tongue Scraper

Although there is no harm in adding tongue scraping to your routine, it isn't necessary to do for good dental hygiene, according to the American Dental Association.

Tongue scraping can help remove bacteria, debris, food,  and dead cells and may also have other benefits, including improving your sense of taste and improve your breath. 

To perform tongue scraping, you will need to obtain a specially designed tongue scraper for best results. These can be made from plastic, copper, and stainless steel. Most tongue scrapers will have a slightly rounded shape, and will look like an inverted spoon. If you’re in a pinch, a clean spoon. However, they may not remove as much odor-causing bacteria as a tongue scraper specially designed for that purpose.

Steps for tongue scraping: 

  1. Stand in front of a mirror and stick out your tongue.
  2. Gently put the rounded end of the tongue scraper towards the back of your tongue.
  3. If you’re concerned with gagging, you may find it helpful to start at the middle of your tongue first and you can gradually start from farther back as you get used to doing it.
  4. Gently press the scraper to your tongue. Slowly drag it forward, toward the tip of your tongue.  Important note: You should never push the scraper from the tip of your tongue back and always go from the back of the tongue to the tip.
  5. After each scrape, use a washcloth or tissue to remove debris from the instrument.
  6. Repeat until you’ve scraped your tongue's entire surface. One to two passes across the same area is usually enough to be effective. 
  7. When you are done wash the tongue scraper (there are a variety of ways to do this that I list below), dry, and store in a clean, dry area.


    The entire process should take a couple minutes or less. 

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 How to clean your tongue scraper between uses: 

There are a variety of ways to disinfect your tongue scraper for future use. Some of these are: 

  • You can run your tongue scraper under hot water to help kill many germs. 

  • You can soak your tongue scraper in antibacterial mouthwash. To do so leave the tongue scraper head down in a cup of mouthwash for 30 minutes, then set it upright to air dry. For best results, don’t water the antibacterial mouthwash down at all. 

  • You can also use effervescent denture cleaner. It helps loosen residue so that it’s easier to rinse off afterward. Guess what? You can use denture cleanser to soak your tongue scraper, too. Let it set in the cleanser for about half an hour, then rinse it off and allow it to air dry.

  • If your  tongue scraper is dishwasher safe sticking it in the dishwasher also works.  Put your tongue scraper in the silverware basket or the top rack of your dishwasher (as long as you’re sure that it is not going to slip down into the bottom and melt) and put it through a normal cleaning cycle. The high temp water and detergent will help clean away most bacteria.

  • Soak your tongue scraper in hydrogen peroxide overnight, then allow it to air dry the next day.

Here at Clove Dental we pride ourselves on having a dream team of dental staff who take the time to answer your questions regarding your oral health. We also have state-of-the-art equipment in our offices at Riverpark in Oxnard, A Street in Oxnard, Ventura, Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, and Beverly Hills offering you the best standard of care  in Ventura County and Los Angeles County. We offer routine care and emergency same-day care, oral surgery, and many other services including teeth whitening and Invisalign...and, of course, patient education in all things related to dental health! Schedule a consultation at Clove Dental today at clovedds.com or call your preferred office location. 

Our Locations and numbers are: 

Oxnard Riverpark: 1000 Town Center Dr, Suite 250, Oxnard, CA 93036 805-983-7674   

Central Oxnard: 140 North A Street, Oxnard CA 93030 805-483-9537     

Thousand Oaks: 509 Marin Street, Suite 220, Thousand Oaks CA 91360 805-374-8484

Camarillo: 2107 Pickwick Drive, Camarillo CA 93010 805-819-2043

Beverly Hills: 9001 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 303, Beverly Hills, CA 90211 310-273-0726

Ventura: 3555 Loma Vista Rd Suite 217, Ventura, CA 93003 805-643-4184
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