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.
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New to the topic? The topic hub is the one-page overview of everything we have learned. Each section links into a longer piece on the same idea.