Bad breath is not only annoying but embarrassing. Having bad breath can hinder ones social life and self esteem greatly. Bad breath is a problem that many suffer and desperately try to conceal. Many make the mistake by trying to conceal their bad breath. This is never the answer. It is important to find the cause of the problem and fix it from there before it progresses into something worse. There are certain causes of bad breath and below are some simple ways to fix it.
Your breath is representative of your health. If you are experiencing bad breath you may want to take a look at your daily habits, diet, health, and your hygiene practice.There may be certain things that you are doing or are not doing that can affect your breath. Take a look below at some things that affect the way your breath smells and how to fix the problem.
Take a look at your habits. What do you tend to do daily? Do you smoke, drink, eat pungent foods, or don’t talk much? All of these things can contribute to bad breath. If you are a smoker or drinker you may have a hard time ridding yourself of the smoker’s and drinker’s breath. The best way to rid of smokers breath is to brush right after smoking or to chew on anise seeds. It’s important to use toothpaste that contains baking soda. Be sure to brush your tongue each time you brush your teeth. To rid yourself of alcohol breath consider placing a cough drop in your mouth and sucking on it. You can even try chewing a few pieces of mint-based gum or mints such as Mentos and Altoids. This problem can be avoided by limiting or quitting cigarettes and/or alcohol. If you consume a lot of alcohol on a daily basis you will find that the smell of alcohol will start to seep through your pores. This is a sure sign that it might be time to quit or limit yourself.
Eating pungent foods such as garlic and onion will definitely make you have bad breath. The best way to get rid of bad breath due to foods such as garlic is to brush your teeth and or drink a glass of lemonade. You can also chew a piece of mint gum that contains Xylitol, or take a teaspoon of mustard and swish it around your mouth like water. Next, spit the mustard out and then consume a teaspoon of it. As with alcohol and tobacco the only sure way to eliminate this bad breath due to eating pungent foods is to cut them out of your diet or limit them.
Talking too little and talking too much can cause you to have bad breath. If you are really talkative throughout the day your saliva can dry up. There are certain components in your saliva that fight off bacteria that causes bad breath. When you talk and talk your saliva dries up making it impossible for those components to fight off bacteria. The same thing happens when you do not talk much. Just imagine, you keeping your mouth closed up for the whole day rarely opening it to let air in and out. You trap smells and influence dry mouth which leads to bad breath. Try being a bit more talkative if you don’t talk much. If you are overly talkative throughout the day consider carrying a bottle of water to sip on.
Take a look at your diet. What does your diet look like? Certain foods can influence bad breath. A diet high in sugar and fatty foods can cause you to have foul breath. There are tiny bacteria on your tongue and these bacteria feed off of the food that we eat. These bacteria then excrete waste which if not properly removed causes our tongue to emit a foul smell. Sugar is a culprit when it comes to bad breath because bacteria love it. Bacteria feed off of sugar. They use it to reproduce which creates more and more waste. To prevent this you should try to stick to a healthier diet which includes more whole foods such as veggies and the occasional fruit. Instead of soda and fruit juices drink plenty of water. Another good way to prevent sugar from taking over your tongue is to gargle with a baking soda and water solution. Take a look at your health. Are you healthy? Are you in good health? Poor health and certain conditions can cause you to have bad breath. Diseases (conditions) that can contribute to bad breath include; diabetes, leukemia, kidney failure and liver cirrhosis. Tonsil and sinus infections can play a major role in bad breath as well as tumors and acid reflux. Since these are health problems they can’t be fixed right away with a quick fix solution they need the attention of a physician. So, if you have been diagnosed or think that you may have either of these problems it is best to make a call to your primary care physician.
If you are on medication for any problems then this can be the reason you have bad breath. Some medications have a tendency to dry out your mouth which can contribute to bad breath. The best way to treat this problem is to drink more fluids and to consult your doctor. You may need your dosage lowered.
Cavities can contribute to foul breath. If you have cavities then you have tooth decay.. The best way to treat cavities is to schedule an appointment with your dentist. You will either need to get your tooth filled, pulled, or reconstructed in someway depending on the severity of the decay. Wisdom teeth that grow improperly can cause you to have foul smelling breath. When wisdom teeth grow improperly pockets (or spaces) form on the sides of the wisdom teeth and foods becomes entrapped there and become very difficult to clean out which causes a pretty nasty smell.
Maintaining annul dental visits is important to your oral health and good smelling breath. In addition to cavities you might find that you suffer from gingivitis or periodontitis which are forms of gum disease.
4. Take a look at your hygiene practice. Sure you may brush and floss your teeth but for how long and how often do you do either of the two? It is important to brush your teeth 2-3 times a day (including your tongue) and to floss after every meal or at least every night. You should spend a total of five minutes brushing and a total of one to two minutes flossing. After you have flossed it is important to go through each tooth with either a tooth scraper or your fingernail and scrape off any remaining plaque. It sounds disgusting but it needs to be done for the sake of your health and good smelling breath. You may want to invest in a tongue scraper because they are life savers when trying to maintain good smelling breath. Some tooth brushes come with tongue scrapers on the back. If you have white film on your tongue (signs of oral thrush or illness) try to remove it by scraping it with a tongue scraper. You will smell a great difference in your breath and your mouth will feel fresher.