Why is it so important to follow through with that oft-repeated advice to brush your teeth after meals, and floss once a day? Because failing to do so will cause residue from your food to putrefy between the teeth, especially at the gum line, and also at the back of the tongue, leading to a whole host of foul and persistent odors.

How to Clean Your Tongue

Fortunately, cleaning your tongue is easy - just use a tongue brush, scraper, or cleaner to scrape your tongue clean twice a day, making sure to reach the back where most of the residue rests. This simple procedure will make your mouth much less hospitable to the wrong types of bacteria.

If you don’t have a tongue scraper on hand, you can even use an inverted teaspoon to clean the surface of your tongue. The one thing that won’t work so well is your tooth brush. The bristles simply won’t reach far enough back to do the job. What they can do, however, is effectively spread a small amount of antibacterial solution on the back of your tongue, improving your chances against bacteria.

When cleaning your tongue, take care to avoid scraping the V-shaped row of taste buds found at the extreme back of the tongue.

Other Simple Ways to Improve Bad Breath

Since a dry mouth can foster odorous anaerobic bacteria, worsening or even causing bad breath, chewing sugarless gum can sometimes help you produce more saliva, and as a result help reduce bad breath. Some studies have suggested that sugarless gum with an herbal component, like cinnamon, is the most effective. Recently, some gums, toothpastes, sprays, and gels which combat dry mouth for several hours by helping you produce more saliva have been marketed over the counter.

Another way to keep saliva levels where they should be is to maintain your body’s water levels by drinking several glasses of water a day. Adding fresh-squeezed lemon juice to your water is refreshing and a good way to get a jolt of vitamin C. Parsley is a natural, chlorophyll-packed breath freshener when chewed slowly, and is easy to grow at home.

Some studies have shown that surprising choices such as eating yogurt (full of beneficial bacteria) or drinking green tea (an antibacterial) can also reduce bad breath.