Tools and methods exist and are recommended daily.
The tongue, a nest of bacteria.
Bacteria are not found only in the interdental spaces. Thus, almost half of the bacteria living in our mouth come from the tongue and can be responsible for bad breath.
A healthy tongue should be pink, free of canker sores and whitish deposition. It must not cause pain, discomfort or tickling.
The toothbrush can be used to clean its tongue even if it is not dedicated for this purpose in the first place.
Although studied to clean the smooth and hard surface of the teeth, it will nevertheless remove some of the bacteria.
The hairs must, however, be flexible so as not to hurt the tongue.
With a toothbrush with an integrated scraper
The best is to buy a toothbrush with a built-in tongue cleaner that will remove almost all the bacteria because it is specially designed for the spongy texture of the tongue.
In addition, it will be renewed with every change of toothbrush (provided you think about changing your toothbrush), which is more hygienic than the independent tongue scraper, forgotten in a corner of the bathroom and used only once from time to time.
With a tongue-cleaner
It is the most effective because it has been studied specifically for the cleaning of the tongue.
It comes in several forms: clamp, soft loop, etc. Its mode of action is purely mechanical: it comes to scrape the language at each passage, and thus rid of all its bacteria.
It must be used 2 times a day minimum to fight effectively against bacteria.
Which material to choose?
The scratches are made of metal, plastic or silicone. The metal ones are the most hygienic and the most durable, just pass under hot water after use. Plastic ones are inexpensive to purchase but are also the least durable and therefore need to be changed regularly.
The silicone tongue scrapers are the Rolls-Royce of the tongue scrapers. They offer unequaled comfort and are very resistant.
Make mouthwash
The mouthwashes are antibacterial and effectively help fight germs.
However, be careful with mouthwashes with alcohol: they can irritate the tongue, especially if it has been brushed energetically and can also dry mucous membranes.
Even if they do not contain alcohol, mouthwashes can cause a burning sensation, so be careful not to leave them too long in the mouth and to respect the prescribed doses.
How is it actually done?
For effective tongue cleaning, it is best to pull the tongue to have visibility and avoid having to push the tongue-lick too far, which could make you want to vomit.
You then have to scratch the tongue with back and forth movements from the back to the front to avoid pushing the bacteria to the throat. It takes about ten round trips for the action to be effective. Between the different round trips, it is important to rinse the tongue scraper or the toothbrush a few times to rid it of bacteria deposits.
The taste buds being fragile, the cleaning should be gentle and carried out without pressure.