US Patent 6895624 Powered tongue cleaning device

A portable, hand-held device is employed to clean the tongue. The device includes a housing configured to be grasped by a user during a tongue cleaning procedure, a fibrous brush configured to clean tongue surfaces as the brush is moved against the surface of the tongue, and a motor assembly configured to vibrate the brush as the brush is moved against the surface of the tongue. The brush has a height that is substantially less than the width thereof, such that the configuration of the brush minimizes the elicitation of a gag reflex when the device is used to clean the tongue.