Many people brush their teeth to keep their breath fresh. Others might chew gum, rinse with products like Listerine or Scope, and floss regularly. While all of these are definitely recommended as part of a fresh breath regimen, the most effective (and perhaps often neglected) method of freshening one’s breath is the regular use of a tongue scraper.

Contrary to popular belief, the biggest cause of bad breath is bacteria that lives and grows on the back of your tongue. Since there are deep grooves in your tongue (the taste buds in the back of your tongue, these are called papillae), bacteria thrive within these grooves grows and is directly responsible for the bad smells that may emanate from your mouth. Since bacteria in this kind of environment doesn’t get much oxygen, this is exactly what makes it smell bad.

While there’s no outright cure for this kind of thing (though there are treatments), the good news is that regular use of a tongue scraper can do a great job at getting rid of a good percentage of these bacteria.

While some people brush their tongue with their toothbrush while brushing their teeth, there are three reasons why this isn’t too effective.

1) Try jamming a toothbrush all the way into the back of your mouth. Not only is it uncomfortable, but it’s dangerous. It could easily lead to gagging, or even choking.

2) A toothbrush, compared to the surface of a tongue scraper, is very rough. The bristles will scratch your tongue’s surface, potentially doing long-term damage to its lining.

3) The surface area of a toothbrush isn’t wide enough to cover your entire tongue.

A tongue scraper, on the other hand, is a much better option for various reasons. First of all, the thin shape of the scraper will allow you to reach the back of your tongue (the most important part) without feeling uncomfortable and making you gag. Also, a tongue scraper is much smoother than the rough bristles of a toothbrush, and much gentler on the tongue. Lastly, they’re really cheap and they last for a long time. I’ve had the same one for over two years now.

If you’ve tried gums, mouthwashes, brushing, and everything else imaginable, look no further than the tongue scraper as your best bet for directly removing the source of bad breath. You’ll be glad you did.