Writing

Notes on tongue scraping, oral care, and the design of small daily tools.

By Mara West. Updated as we learn more. Each piece is a long answer to a question someone asks us in real life.

• May 12, 2026 · 7 min read

  The single most effective thing you can do about bad breath in the morning

  Brushing barely reaches the back of the tongue. That is where most morning breath actually comes from. Here is the case for tongue scraping, and what we have learned about doing it without gagging.

• May 8, 2026 · 8 min read

  Plastic vs. stainless steel tongue scrapers: an honest comparison

  We sell a plastic scraper. We also think stainless steel is a fine choice for some people. Here is the actual case for and against each, written by someone who has bought both.

• May 4, 2026 · 7 min read

  The truth about copper tongue scrapers

  Copper tongue scrapers are having a moment, and the marketing around them is doing a lot of work. Here is what is actually true about copper, what is folklore, and who they are really for.

• April 30, 2026 · 5 min read

  How to use a tongue scraper without gagging

  Most people who quit tongue scraping quit because they could not get past the gag reflex. The fix is not toughing it out. It is technique. Here is the one we teach.

• April 23, 2026 · 6 min read

  Why a 5,000-year-old morning habit just started trending in California

  Tongue scraping has been part of Ayurvedic morning routines (dinacharya) for millennia. Search interest in the U.S. is up roughly 10x in the last year. Here is the short history, and what the tradition actually says to do.

• April 15, 2026 · 8 min read

  What dentists actually say about tongue scraping

  The ADA does not formally recommend tongue scraping. A growing body of clinical research does. Here is what the literature shows, what dentists tell their own patients, and the honest size of the effect.