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Researchers claim that
the back of the tongue is a major source of bad breath. Can I smell it myself?
In healthy people, the tongue is probably the major source of
oral malodor. You may not believe such a statement, so I suggest the following
simple experiment. Stick out your tongue as far as it will go, and give one of your wrists
(preferably one without perfume) a good lick. Wait five seconds, and take a sniff. Almost
everyone's tongue has an odor.
Interestingly, the smell of the front end of the tongue isn't the crux of the problem. It
is way further back, towards your throat. In many people with bad breath, a careful
scraping of the back of the tongue with a spoon reveals a yellowish Mucous material. The
odor of this material on the spoon itself is often very reminiscent of the odor emanating
from the whole mouth of the subject.
