# Revealing Personal Hygine Query **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 27, 2001, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revealing-personal-hygine-query/78332 "2001-08-27T15:27:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Damhna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@Damhna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damhna)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revealing-personal-hygine-query/78332/1 "2001-08-27T15:27:51Z")
A few years ago I was flabbergasted to witness my then girlfriend brushing her tongue as part of her dental routine. Foamed that talented little muscle right up with toothpaste and scrubbed away. She was astounded that I was so surprised as she thought it perfectly normal and commonplace. In fact she though brushing you teeth without a quick tongue wipe was positively unhygenic. I took up the practise then so as not to appear wierd and unusual but I have never ever seen anyone else do this. What about you , is it a good idea , standard practice? Does it affect the tongue lining? ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revealing-personal-hygine-query/78332/2 "2001-08-27T15:34:03Z")
Yup, I brush my tongue, but not forcefully; just to make sure that the purple popsicle doesn’t leave incriminating evidence. ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revealing-personal-hygine-query/78332/3 "2001-08-27T15:37:30Z")
Brush my tongue everyday. It is helpful for fighting bad breath. ---
**Author:** ![Chance\_the\_Gardener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@Chance\_the\_Gardener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chance_the_Gardener)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revealing-personal-hygine-query/78332/4 "2001-08-27T15:39:51Z")
I do this, and have done this for most of the time I’ve been brushing my teeth. It prevents bad breath, sure enough. And as someone who likes to eat raw garlic, this is an essential part of my daily ritual. ---
**Author:** ![ThisYearsGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@ThisYearsGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisYearsGirl)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revealing-personal-hygine-query/78332/5 "2001-08-27T15:43:17Z")
Of course. I’d say it’s fairly common practice. I recall Kermit the frog telling me to do it when I was about six years old. ---
**Author:** ![Legomancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/779978/32.png) [@Legomancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Legomancer)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revealing-personal-hygine-query/78332/6 "2001-08-27T15:47:06Z")
I brush my tongue, but I don’t scrape. ---
**Author:** ![Jet\_Jaguar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jet_jaguar/32/3562_2.png) [@Jet\_Jaguar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jet_Jaguar)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revealing-personal-hygine-query/78332/7 "2001-08-27T16:11:04Z")
I brush my tongue. It really helps freshen your breath because it scrubs out all sorts of bacteria that grow in the little crevices of your tongue. I don’t use a scraper, just scrub it with my toothbrush. ---
**Author:** ![Mauvaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mauvaise/32/11084_2.png) [@Mauvaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mauvaise)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revealing-personal-hygine-query/78332/8 "2001-08-27T16:13:16Z")
I brush my tongue, the inside of my cheeks, and my gums… as well as the actual teeth 😉 I don’t, however, scrape, and I’m not as diligent with flossing as I should be. ---
**Author:** ![SoMoMom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@SoMoMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoMoMom)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revealing-personal-hygine-query/78332/9 "2001-08-27T17:06:35Z")
I have brushed my tongue since the 3rd grade when the Crest people came with the pink tablets and taught us how to brush our mouths. I also brush the roof of my mouth, there’s plaque germs there too, you know. ---
**Author:** ![Cosmopolitan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/94ad74/32.png) [@Cosmopolitan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cosmopolitan)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revealing-personal-hygine-query/78332/10 "2001-08-27T17:09:22Z")
I’m a tongue brusher, indeed I am. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revealing-personal-hygine-query/78332/11 "2001-08-27T18:33:49Z")
I do it too! ---
**Author:** ![Kiki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kiki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiki)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revealing-personal-hygine-query/78332/12 "2001-08-27T19:41:15Z")
If you don’t brush your tongue you can get [Hairy Tongue](http://www.dermis.net/doia/image.asp?zugr=d&lang=e&cd=2&nr=27&diagnr=529300). Here’s [another](http://www.dermis.net/doia/image.asp?zugr=d&lang=e&cd=2&nr=47&diagnr=529300) hairy tongue pic and [another](http://www.dermis.net/doia/image.asp?zugr=d&lang=e&cd=33&nr=39&diagnr=529300). Pretty gross. I wouldn’t want to be kissed by somebody with a tongue like that!! Yuck. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revealing-personal-hygine-query/78332/13 "2001-08-27T19:55:33Z")
Embarrassing revelation coming up … Hi, my name is Jack, and I’m a sufferer of hairy tongue syndrome. Not like the pictures that **Rachelle** link to but close. The first time I noticed it I totally freaked, but I had a cold so I thought that was an offshoot of the ailment. I could brush my tongue clean although it took some doing, and a lot of gagging. Unfortunately, if I don’t brush my tongue it comes back to a degree. It’s more of a light coating (that seems to be made worse with the copious amounts of coffee I consume) than “hair”, but it’s still kind of gross. What was the question again? Oh yeah. Yes, I brush my tongue. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revealing-personal-hygine-query/78332/14 "2001-08-27T21:45:32Z")
Yep, gotta brush the tongue. My fourth-grade teacher told me so (and it was pretty much the most useful thing he taught us, too). 'Cause, see, the germs all jump off your teeth onto the tongue when the toothbrush shows up. So you gotta get them there. ---
**Author:** ![Edwardina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Edwardina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edwardina)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revealing-personal-hygine-query/78332/15 "2001-08-27T22:06:22Z")
I never did until I was about 18, because I never had any coating on my tongue, but now I do it religiously. Otherwise my tongue will get a whitish cast to it that I don’t think looks healthy. Ick! ---
**Author:** ![pezpunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@pezpunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pezpunk)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revealing-personal-hygine-query/78332/16 "2001-08-27T22:12:11Z")
Tongue brusher checking in! ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revealing-personal-hygine-query/78332/17 "2001-08-27T22:26:09Z")
I not only brush my tongue and the roof of my mouth, but I run the brush around the inside of my cheeks and in front of my teeth. I don’t know when I started doing all of this but I can’t stand not doing it now. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revealing-personal-hygine-query/78332/18 "2001-08-27T22:34:14Z")
I’m curious to know, **Damhna** , if you’ve noticed any difference since you started brushing your tongue. If I don’t have time to brush my tongue (yes, I realize it takes very little time, but I’m talking about those days when I sleep through the alarm and I’m rushing so much that I’m brushing my teeth with one hand and shaving my legs with the other), I notice a definite decrease in how clean and fresh my mouth seems. **ThisYearsGirl** , I think I learned this from Kermit as well. The poor little guy doesn’t even have any _teeth_, he’s got to brush _something_. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revealing-personal-hygine-query/78332/19 "2001-08-28T00:09:15Z")
You guys learned from _Kermit_? That is _so_ uncool. Arthur Fonzerelli schooled me. Well, vicariously through Richie Cunningham, anyway. Richie had a big date, and wanted some pointers. The Fonz gives him a checklist: (If my memory is accurate to 23 years, it was something like this…) F: Comb hair. R: Check. F: Brush teeth. R: Check. F: Brush tongue. R: _**(Shocked)**_ Brush tongue?! F: Brush tongue. I didn’t start conforming to the checklist until I was in my twenties and became a heavy coffee drinker. Absolute Necessity. Now here’s a question-- Am I the only one here that _flosses_ their tongue? Not part of the daily regimen but an occasional thing. Serious. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revealing-personal-hygine-query/78332/20 "2001-08-28T00:45:50Z")
I don’t brush my tongue. I heard it was a good idea and tried it, but it made me gag. I’d heard it’ll make you gag, but you’d get used to it. So I kept it up for a week. I was still gagging at the end of the week, so I decided it wasn’t worth the effort. I have a very aggressive gag reflex, I guess. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revealing-personal-hygine-query/78332.md?page=2)