Bad breath is embarrassing, discomforting, a confidence killer and can make people stay away from you. Do people shun your company, keep their distance or adjust their head towards a different direction immediately you begin to speak (because you have bad breath)?
Or, you just need measures to prevent bad breath?
These are five effective measures to help you get rid of your bad breath or prevent bad breath in the first place.
First you must understand the following:
How Do you Know you Have Bad Breath?
Mostly, it is difficult to know you have bad breath until someone else draws your attention. Often, people who do not have bad breath are conscious and worried about their breath, while those who do, may not notice it.
It might be a bit weird and uncomfortable but, let a close friend or family member give you honest feedback on your breath.
What Causes Bad Breath?
Medically known as halitosis, bad breath is caused by a lot of factors.
Poor dental habits such as not brushing and flossing regularly can be the cause of your bad breath. Others include; dry mouth, smoking/use of tobacco products and other complicated situations such as mouth infections, nose and throat conditions. It could also be as a result of a medical condition where you would need a dentist to diagnose.
Food such as garlic, onions and some spices especially when eaten in large quantities or too frequently may give you bad breath.
If you cannot figure out what could be causing your bad breath at this point, you may need to see a professional.
Let’s get to the real deal. I know you need a practical way out, so I have lumped different solutions into five main points.
1. Revise Your Oral Hygiene Routine
First, how many times do you brush daily? How often do you floss? What products do you use? Do you clean every part of your mouth including your gums, the tongue and beneath the tongue properly?
Before you assume your situation is out of hand, you need to be sure it is not a basic problem of poor oral hygiene, because that can be solved without you panicking.
When you do not brush or floss regularly, the remaining food particles get rotten in your mouth and breed bacteria which can cause bad breath or lead to a build-up of plaque (a sticky deposit on teeth in which bacteria grow and increase) which could also make your mouth smell offensive.
A solution is to review your oral hygiene routine
If you brush once daily, make it twice or more. If you brush twice already, make it thrice (or more) while spending more time to clean your mouth and teeth thoroughly. It is ideal to brush after every meal. If you can, make it happen (at least until you seen an improvement).
Make time to floss regularly
Dental flossing is important because your toothbrush may not be able to reach in between your teeth (but the floss can). A floss reaches for the remains of food and plaque in between the teeth which when decays can cause bad breath. Remember to floss at least once a day. This takes only a few minutes and can be of immense help to your oral hygiene.
If your bad breath is really because of poor oral hygiene, you should see some progress after weeks of consistent practice. Also, never go to bed without brushing, it only gives bacteria room to grow on the food residue in your dry mouth all night long.
Get a tongue scraper
Use a tongue scraper to help remove coating (which usually harbours bacteria) on the tongue. This also eliminates undigested food particles from the tongue and helps prevent bad breath. It cleans the bacteria the toothbrush cannot clean properly on your tongue.
Clean your dentures regularly
If you have dentures, it is advisable to clean it daily to keep it clean and rid it of bacteria. You can take it off at night and clean it thoroughly before using it the next day.
2. Drink lots of water
Have you ever wondered why you have bad breath when you wake up first thing in the morning? It is because your mouth produces less saliva while you are asleep which leads to a dry mouth. Remember I mentioned dry mouth as one of the causes of bad breath?
As basic as it may sound, being hydrated can be of immense help for two main reasons; it helps in saliva production and helps to flush out bacteria in the mouth.
Dry mouth is also known as xerostomia (reported to be more common in women than in men).
Saliva helps to moisten and cleanse your mouth, therefore when it is absent, it leaves your mouth dry which could make it smell.
Dry mouth can be caused by a multiplicity of factors and could occur as a side effect of some medications or even alcohol intake. Sometimes, your mouth just gets dry, and you just can’t explain why (I know). Regardless of whatever might be the cause of your dry mouth, it is not good for your breath.
How does drinking water help?
When your body is well hydrated, it helps your mouth produce saliva which prevents your mouth from going dry. This also explains why skipping breakfast is not advised since eating in the morning keeps the salivation process ongoing.
Bad breath causing bacteria flourish in dry environments, therefore drinking water frequently also keeps your mouth moisturized and flushes out the debris in your mouth (food particles which could potentially cause bad breath) as you drink.
Trapped food particles in the tonsils can also lead to bad breath and drinking water frequently comes in handy. Practice this alongside an improved oral hygiene routine and you will be on your way to freedom.
3. Watch What You Eat
This is basically because the food you eat gets absorbed into your bloodstream which is expelled by your lungs when you breath.
Consuming too much garlic, onions and some spices can ultimately contribute to bad breath.
You need to cut down on dense protein foods, diary and acidic food since they may cause bacteria to grow much faster. Avoid coffee and alcohol because they can lead to dry mouth. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables.
Chew Sugar-Free gums– It is important to grab a gum to help keep your mouth moisturized by producing saliva. However, opt for a sugar free gum. This is because some bacteria use sugar to produce glycan strands which could lead to bad breath. It is also important to reduce you sugar intake because the bacteria causing bad breath multiply when exposed to sugar.
You can also chew some mint leaves or parsley.
Don’t smoke or use tobacco products– smoking also dries out your mouth and tissues and hinders normal flow of saliva, which leads to bad breath. Particles of smoke and other chemicals can stick to various parts of your mouth and can lead to an offensive smell in your mouth. A repeatedly dry mouth can cause build-up of plague and provide a breeding ground for bacteria to grow.
4. Choose the right products
There are so many products on the market which supposedly will transform your bad breath into a refreshing one. Be careful what you fall for. Some businesses are out there to make money especially with alcohol-based mouthwashes or some mint products which may not be efficient and could aggravate your problem.
Firstly, if you do not practice good oral hygiene, a mouthwash or mint will only mask the odour for so long without solving the problem.
Secondly, it is advisable to stick to an antibacterial mouth wash or rinse, which kills the bacteria and helps to solve the root of the problem and not necessarily, just to freshen your breath for a few hours. As helpful as these products may be, do not rely on them.
5. See a dentist
Why book a dentist’s appointment when I do not have a toothache?
This is something we all get away with most times, but it is extremely important to make a date with your dentist every six months or at least once every year. There are two reasons why you should do this; routine check-up of your mouth and teeth, and to identify what conditions could be the cause of your bad breath if you cannot identify the cause.
Ever met someone with sparkling white teeth with a clean looking tongue, but still has bad breath?
If you have tried all the oral hygiene recommendations and they are just not working, it is time to see your dentist.
This could be much more than just your mouth. You may need some diagnoses and a prescription from a professional. Some bad breath conditions are more complex than you may think. They could be a result of certain health conditions. Your doctor could recommend advanced oral care products.
What Next?
There are so many different causes of bad breath, but what is most important is your ability to prevent bad breath or get rid of it once it occurs.
Revise your oral hygiene routine, drink lots of water, watch what you eat, choose the right products and see a dentist. Any or all of these will work for you based on the cause of your bad breath.
Do you have other ways to get rid of bad breath? Be kind enough to share. Let me know if this has been helpful.
