Sure, we all know that you should brush your teeth twice a day (and floss — either with string floss or a water flosser). But recently, I’ve taken on the extra habit of tongue scraping. The barrier for entry was low — a $10 metal instrument that takes maybe 30 seconds (if that) out of my day — and, now, it’s a must in my daily morning and nighttime routine. I simply scrape from back to front with light pressure two or three times, making sure to rinse the tool between each pass.

When I spoke to experts for this story, they were as enthusiastic about tongue cleaning, too. “Imagine your tongue as a shag rug. Anytime you eat, food is getting stuck between those fibers, or what’s called the ‘papillae’ on your tongue,” Dr. Pia Lieb, founder of Cosmetic Dentistry Center NYC, says. “When food is left out, it breaks down. The same thing happens on your tongue, and it turns into anaerobic bacteria, which stinks.” Tongue cleaning regularly should help get rid of halitosis (or bad breath), according to Dr. Lieb and other experts. And if that’s not enough reason to reach for a tongue scraper, pediatric dentist Dr. Rashmi Ambewadikar at Astoria Smiles says it can also help get rid of cavity-causing bacteria like streptococcus mutans and lactobacilli. Below, the dentists, dental hygienists, and otolaryngologists told me about the tongue cleaners they use themselves and what they recommend to their patients.