Can Tongue Scrapers Hold Up to Their Claims to Freshen Breath?

Is Tongue Scraping the True Answer To Fresher Breath?

Tongue scrapers have made quite a showing in the oral care market in recent years, claiming to put an end to bad breath . While they have been widely available for many years, it appears the increase in popularity has been fueled by no small part by information widely available on the Internet.

Marketers claim that by scraping the surface of the tongue, these devices eliminate bacteria, making the assumption that the bacteria on the tongue are the culprit for bad breath . However, like many products, their effectiveness has not been validated.

Bacteria Really Does Contribute to Bad Breath

Bad breath is generally an indication of bacterial imbalance in the entire mouth – between teeth, on the surfaces of the teeth, under the gums, and, yes, on the tongue. The answer to better breath is to ensure that the good bacteria in everywhere in the mouth outnumbers the bad bacteria responsible for the foul odor of bad breath.

Bacteria in the Mouth

The human mouth is home to between 700 – 800 bacteria. The mouth is a good home to bacteria, most of which thrive in warm, wet, dark places. Most of the bacteria are completely innocuous.  A few, however, are to blame for bad breath. These bacteria naturally emit volatile sulfur compounds as a byproduct. These VSCs are to blame for the vast majority of chronic bad breath conditions.

On the flip side, there are also beneficial bacteria that make their home in the human mouth. If you have chronic bad breath, you are likely lacking in the beneficial bacteria department.

Probiotics Combat Bad Breath

Probiotics are a staple in many cultures. Dr. Jeffrey Hillman, Chief Scientific Officer of Oragenics, Inc., has identified three strains of probiotics found in very healthy mouths – Streptococcus oralis (S. oralis KJ3™), Streptococcus uberis (S. uberis KJ2™) and Streptococcus rattus (S. rattus JH145™). Dr. Hillman has combined these probiotics to develop a probiotic mint that, when used twice daily after brushing, crowds out bad-breath-causing bacteria on all surfaces of the mouth – not just the tongue.