I've been doing this for years but my friends were utterly baffled when they found out. I have a cheap, copper plated tongue scraper from a knick-knack store and it does the job beautifully, virtually eliminating morning breath.

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[–] 49 points 6 months ago (7 children)
  • [–] 39 points 6 months ago (4 children)

    Can't escape Big Tongue Scraper.

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  • [–] 8 points 6 months ago (3 children)

    Join us. Join the Scrape Corporation.

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  • [–] 9 points 6 months ago* (2 children)

    Haha I bought a tongue scraper years ago for like $5. Then my dentist gave me another. So it's super funny to me that a company selling a somewhat niche product for a super cheap price, a product that can easily last a lifetime, would be out here covertly advertising on a niche social media website.

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  • [–] 7 points 6 months ago

    I heard that if you buy a copper played flying Tiger tongue scraper today you can get an anal douche kit with bonus scrotum razor for just 3x payments of $5.99.

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  • [–] 40 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    Nope, but I do brush my tongue with the toothbrush while I'm in there doing my teeth.

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  • [–] 20 points 6 months ago

    Yes. Once you see the shit you get off your tongue you can never return to before.

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  • [–] 15 points 6 months ago (1 child)
  • [–] 15 points 6 months ago

    I use a dedicated poop knife for scraping my tongue. Just make sure it's a different color than your regular poop knife.

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  • [–] 11 points 6 months ago (3 children)

    I just use the back of the toothbrush. I get ones that are textured.

    I feel like my breath is bad if I don't.

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  • [–] 4 points 6 months ago

    I just use my toothbrush after cleaning the teeth with the leftover paste still on it. Works well for me and is also said to hinder the spread of viruses in some kind of manner, at least I think I read this on the news some time ago.

    I also used the backside of the brush for this but my method seems more effective to me, I would like to see a study about this.

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  • [–] 9 points 6 months ago (7 children)

    I use a toothbrush for that.

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  • [–] 5 points 6 months ago* (6 children)

    Do yourself a favor and try a scraper: It works way better and way faster.

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  • [–] 4 points 6 months ago (3 children)

    Point taken. I just ordered one, I will give it a try.

    Do you use it before or after brushing?

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  • [–] 8 points 6 months ago

    Sometimes! Most of the time I just use my toothbrush. But either way, I absolutely clean my tongue every day.

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  • [–] 7 points 6 months ago

    I'll start brushing my tongue if I ever get a tongue cavity.

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  • [+] 6 points 6 months ago (3 children)
  • [–] 5 points 6 months ago (2 children)

    I use an electric toothbrush and the high speed oscillation is too much to do my tongue without being too tickly. The scraper is just a steady slow motion that was much easier to cope with for me. Just try a rounded spoon to see if you tolerate it. That's how it was suggested to me, and I just kept on using the spoon because I already had it.

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  • [–] 6 points 6 months ago (2 children)

    I floss, brush, and scrape my tongue. My scraper is just a cheap stainless steel thing but it works fine.

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  • [–] 6 points 6 months ago

    Nope but I brush it at the end. Its like front then up and over on the lowers then uppers then roof then tongue.

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  • [–] 5 points 6 months ago (3 children)

    I just scrape my tongue a bit with the toothbrush at the end of brushing my teeth, this seems more than sufficient

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  • [–] 1 point 6 months ago (2 children)

    it isn't… try the scarper and you'll see

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  • [–] 5 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    No. I tried it for a while and didn't see any difference in terms of breath. (I didn't try your particular tongue scraper brand though)

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  • [–] 2 points 6 months ago

    This was my experience as well. I have no idea if I was doing it wrong (how hard is it to scrape your tongue, after all... it's not like there's that much technique involved if everyone else in the thread is just 'doing it'), but after two months I just stopped.

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  • [–] 4 points 6 months ago

    Yes, I started because using mouthwash and brushing twice a day was not enough for my breath. Haven't had bad breath since. Mine is just a plastic tongue scraper, nothing fancy.

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  • [–] 4 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    I get toothbrushes with a rough patch on the back. It's like a cat tongue licking my tongue, but less erotic and more minty.

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  • [–] 4 points 6 months ago

    I just use my electric toothbrush. The first glob of spit afterwards is nasty

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  • [–] 4 points 6 months ago

    I just use my toe knife, and jam it up there to get the gunk out

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  • [–] 7 points 6 months ago

    No, I've never had a problem with bad breath or matter buildup on my tongue.

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  • [–] 3 points 6 months ago

    Yep, I use some steel thing I got from the drug store for like $5. Works well.

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  • [–] 6 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    I have a neat trick for you; stick your tongue out, bite down, pull tongue in again, spit.

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  • [–] 2 points 6 months ago

    I use my toothbrush from time to time. I don't have a specialty tool.

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  • [–] 1 point 6 months ago (2 children)

    I do, people don't know until they buy one it's so good scraping all the bacterial crud off your tongue every morning. No you can't just brush it off.

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  • [–] 2 points 6 months ago

    I guess it is good to scrape your tongue with toothbrush, scraper or both.

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  • [–] 2 points 6 months ago

    Yeah I learned from some yoga people. I never noticed it make any difference.

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  • [–] 2 points 6 months ago (11 children)

    I've used an old rounded soup spoon before. Did it for a few months, but fell out of the habit. It did seemingly remove a whole bunch of ick when I did it.

    Also, don't forget to flush tonsil stones! Those things are nasty.

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  • [–] 2 points 6 months ago (8 children)

    Also, don't forget to flush tonsil stones! Those things are nasty.

    How?

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  • [–] 2 points 6 months ago (4 children)

    Gargling can help prevent them or flush really tiny ones, but I have trouble gargling without choking and swallowing...double yuck.

    You can use a syringe/water flosser set veeeery low to flush the tonsil pockets, or you can poke them out with a cotton swab or other soft poking device that you are unlikely to swallow if you gag yourself.

    I don't find any of the methods really fun, but the few times I've done it, I thankfully have found very little in there, so I don't do it often.

    You can get good pictures/videos easily on how to do it, but I don't even like looking at them, too big a tryptophobia and slimy germiness combo for me. It's pretty simple and quick though once you find a way that you can tolerate. The manual syringe or one of those bulbs for flushing your ears is what's I'd recommend for the best balance of control and effectiveness with least discomfort.

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  • [–] 2 points 6 months ago (3 children)

    I feel ya, I'd also rather avoid looking at pictures or videos if i can avoid it. I have two kryptonites: heights irl and holes online.

    Do you know if the holes are just pockets or tubes with entrance and exits, meaning you can push/flush down into the tonsils or have to scrape up/flush to overflow?

    I have had to battle mine occasionally recently and I've just been trying to push them up and out by scraping upwards with a utensil. I've also tried with the toothbrush bristles (surprisingly painful) and a toothpick (risky). Nothing feels particularly right or easy.

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  • [–] 1 point 6 months ago (2 children)

    They are pockets, unfortunately. I actually just skimmed a reddit thread and someone mentioned a tonsil stone vacuum! I checked Amazon, and they seem to have a plethora of specialized tools. The battery-operated vacuum mentioned, what is essentially a straw on a bulb syringe for a manual vacuum, and specialized tonsil stone picks. Just search up tonsil stone remover and you may find something that looks tolerable.

    If it's a persistent problem or something painful, it may be worth it to see an ENT to see if you should have your tonsils removed or if they can offer a solution that works. Things like mouth breathing, post nasal drip, and not staying hydrated can worsen accumulation of stones, so treating any of those conditions could also alleviate some of it.

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  • [–] 2 points 6 months ago* (1 child)

    It's only an issue like once or twice a year. Thanks for calling me out on my dehydration issues, lol. But thank you for real for your exhaustive replies!

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  • [–] 1 point 6 months ago

    Good, I'm glad it is nothing serious. The bad pics I have seen look greatly unpleasant!

    I am not the best at drinking the amount I'm supposed to either. It sounds like so much. I am guessing the hydration both keeps the pockets supple, so things fall out on their own, and the act of drinking is a natural flushing of them.

    This isn't the topic I thought I'd be exploring today, but it has reminded me to check my tongue and tonsils, and I just like learning about stuff in general, so it's all good fun for me.

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  • [–] 1 point 6 months ago (2 children)

    I think gargling with warm salt water is the best way to do it, just don't use a water floss, trust me!

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  • [–] 1 point 6 months ago (1 child)

    I feel like gargling doesn't let the liquid actually reach my tonsils, like I close my throat too much. Maybe it does more than I think.

    I was just about to put water flossing them on my todo list, haha! Why not?

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  • [–] 1 point 6 months ago

    Me too, gargling doesn't really hit the sweet spot, but that's what my doctor told me to do.

    Water flossing, for me, felt like someone was stabbing my throat and was way too harsh on it, it was sore for a few days afterwards. Not a fun experience!

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  • [–] 2 points 6 months ago

    I do it, but with the toothbrush. There definitely is a difference between scraping it and not scraping.

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  • [–] 2 points 6 months ago (5 children)

    Maybe I'm doing it wrong but trying to use a bristled tongue scraper makes me almost gag. Not my thing I guess.

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  • [–] [S] 5 points 6 months ago (3 children)

    Mine is pretty inoffensive to the gag reflex.

    Looks like this:

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  • [–] 1 point 6 months ago

    Makes me gag but I try

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  • [–] 1 point 6 months ago

    Yeah, I bought a cheapo scraper years ago. My tongue gets to go to bed and start the day without a layer of shit on it, what's not to love?

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