One of the most common human hygiene goals is that of good breath. There are several at home remedies and over-the-counter products that strive to help you achieve that goal. Many times these efforts are unnecessary. Simply cleaning one’s tongue can lead to good breath.

Most Americans have a similar morning routine: wake up, eat breakfast, shower, and brush teeth. The simple added step of brushing one’s tongue will keep a good breath smell throughout the day.

90% of bad breath cases come from odor-causing bacteria in the mouth. 80% of this bacteria resides on the tongue, preventing good breath. The key to good breath is to remove this bacteria. The bacteria produces waste products which smell of sulfurous compounds. Removing this bacteria will remove the foul-smelling sulfur compounds.

There are a few methods of removing this bacteria from the tongue to create good breath. The simplest way is to use a regular toothbrush. A few scrapes over your tongue with the bristles will do your breath some good. Another tool used for good breath hygiene is a tongue scraper. Some people have sensitive gag reflexes. Often times tongue scrapers are easier for them to reach as far back as possible.

Newly on the market, there is now a product which combines the toothbrush and tongue scraper into one. One side has bristles while the other side has a scraping mechanism to create good breath.

Another way to remove this bacteria from the tongue is with mouthwash. There are several over the counter mouthwashes and prescription mouthwashes designed to kill bacteria. One problem with mouthwash, however, is the amount of alcohol it contains. A mouthwash with a high alcohol content may kill bacteria, but it will also dry out the mouth, which actually will create more odor forming bacteria. It becomes a vicious cycle.

Bad breath is a fear of many Americans. For most, the answer is fairly simple. They key to good breath is a clean tongue.