Do you have bad breath? Can you tell on your own, or would you need someone else to tell you that you do? And will anyone else tell you if you had bad breath?
Many people don’t know if they have bad breath most of the time. After eating something aromatic, such as onions or barbecue, you’ll know that you have some sort of odor coming from your mouth. That could be considered as bad breath to many people you encounter, as well as yourself.
But what if you haven’t just eaten something? What if it’s been awhile and you’re just going about your business? Are you cognizant of the smell on your breath, and if so, are there steps you take to try to ward it off?
First, the good news. There are plenty of steps you can take to try to reduce bad breath if you have it. We’ll discuss some of those steps in a minute. Now the bad news. If none of these steps work, you might have something really serious going on, and you should first see your dentist to determine if it’s related to your teeth or gums. If that produces no answers, your next stop is to your doctor, as it could be indicative of something more serious like liver or kidney problems. It could even indicate things such as diabetes or bronchitis, the second of which you might know because you probably won’t be feeling all that great.
So, if you have chronic issues, seek medical advice. For everyone else, these tips should help:
1. Drink plenty of water. Drinking water solves two problems that are associated with bad breath. One, dry mouth produces bacteria that will cause you to have bad breath. Two, many times your bad breath is actually coming from your stomach, even many hours after eating certain foods, which means there’s nothing you could just put in your mouth that would solve the problem. Water is the greatest cleaner in the world, no matter if you use soap or toothpaste.
2. Brush your teeth. Using toothpaste, especially toothpaste with fluoride in it, will help a lot in keeping your breath clean. Every time you eat something new, some particles stay in your mouth, stuck between your teeth. Brushing your teeth helps get these particles out of your mouth, and of course toothpaste smells pretty good also.
3. Floss your teeth. Truthfully, you should do this before you brush your teeth, but flossing at any time helps remove particles from your mouth. We like recommending those portable floss picks because you can take them anywhere and use them anywhere, almost like toothpicks. Just remember to throw them away after using them.
4. Don’t smoke. Smoking not only can stain your teeth, and obviously has its own odor, but it dries out the mouth, which, as we already mentioned, helps your mouth produce bad odors.
5. Chew gum. Chewing gum works well, not specifically because gum is good but because chewing gum helps your mouth produce saliva, which will keep your mouth nice and moist. Recent studies also seem to indicate that chewing cinnamon gum works best to overcome bad breath because cinnamon has properties that actually combat bacteria. Of course, most doctors will tell you to chew sugarless gum.
6. Suck on breath mints. Just like gum, they will help to keep your breath fresh, and keep your mouth moist. Once again, doctors will recommend sugarless gum.
7. Watch what you eat, or at least when you eat it. Enjoy whatever you like, but if you know you’re going to be around a lot of people later on, you might want to wait on eating certain foods such as foods with onions, garlic, or other aromatic foods. You don’t have to be close to offend someone else with your bad breath, but at the same time, you shouldn’t have to trade everything you like in for not ever having bad breath.
Everyone has bad breath at some point in their lives, probably at some point every day. These seven tips will help you keep it down to a minimum.
source : de MedLady, July 17th, 2009 @headblog.net
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