Does a tongue scraper help a smoker's tongue and breath?

The American Dental Association lists a long set of mouth effects from smoking: chronic bad breath, yellow or brown stained teeth, a dulled sense of taste and smell, less saliva to wash bacteria away, and gum disease that can progress to bone loss and loose teeth. Smoking also raises the risk of cancers of the mouth, throat and tongue.

On the tongue itself, clinicians commonly see tobacco users with a brown or black coating, black hairy tongue, irritation of the tongue surface and white patches called leukoplakia. People who smoke also often report bad breath, a bad taste and dry mouth. The CDC adds that more than 40% of adults aged 20 to 64 who smoke have cavities, compared with 20% of those who never smoked.

• Removes stained coating. Tar and smoke residue cling to the film on the tongue. Scraping lifts that film, which is why the tongue often looks pinker afterward.
• Reduces some odor. Bacteria in the coating produce sulfur gases. Scraping lowers them for a short time, which adds up with daily use.
• Helps keep papillae from overgrowing. Regular scraping is part of the usual care for hairy tongue, which is more common in smokers.
• Gets you looking at your tongue. A daily look makes it more likely you will notice a patch or sore that needs checking.

1. Morning: brush with fluoride toothpaste, floss, scrape the tongue two or three times from back to front, then rinse.
2. After smoking: drink water and rinse. It will not remove the smell from your lungs, but it clears some residue from the mouth and keeps it moist.
3. Night: repeat the full routine. A nightly scrape stops a full day's stained coating from sitting overnight.
4. Twice a year at least: see your dentist for a cleaning and an oral cancer check.

Use light pressure. A smoker's tongue may already be irritated, and a scraper should never leave it raw.

The ADA calls quitting the best way to protect both your mouth and your overall health. Taste and smell tend to improve after people stop, saliva flow recovers, and the coating stops being re-stained every day. Free coaching is available through 1-800-QUIT-NOW, and your dentist or doctor can talk through options that suit you. A clean tongue is a good habit to keep while you quit, not a substitute for quitting.

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research lists tobacco in any form as a risk factor for oral cancer and says to see a dentist or doctor if any of these last more than two weeks: a sore, lump or thick patch in the mouth; a white or red patch; persistent sore throat or hoarseness; trouble chewing, swallowing or moving the tongue; pain, bleeding or numbness in the mouth. A white patch that does not come off with gentle scraping is not a coating, so stop scraping that area and get it looked at.