11 Jul 2018 What To Do About Bad Breath
Bad breath is the worst! No one wants it. All of us have face-to-face interactions with others every single day. Bad breath can be a turn off to other people. It’s the worst feeling when you are talking to someone and you see them take a subconscious step away from you because of your breath. Bad breath can become a daily worry but it doesn’t have to be. What do you do to make bad breath go away permanently? Here are 5 tips to help you eliminate bad breath forever.
Tip 1—Brush and floss your teeth.
I know, it seems like a no-brainer, but how often are you really brushing? Are you doing it just once a day? Most of the time, bad breath is caused by bacteria in your mouth. The bacteria grows on sugar and food particles. If you have food particles lingering in your mouth after a meal or a snack or both, your mouth is a bacteria breeding ground. Brush your teeth 2-3 times a day and floss once a day. By keeping your mouth clean, you will significantly reduce the bacteria in your mouth. Remember to brush your teeth gently. Don’t press too hard. If you are too aggressive when you brush, you can actually damage the enamel and make your teeth more susceptible to decay.
Tip 2—Brush your tongue.
What? Your tongue? Your tongue can harbor odor causing bacteria. You can brush your tongue with toothpaste as your brush your teeth or you can find a tongue scraper at your local drug store. Tongue scrapers are inexpensive and easy to use. It can’t hurt, right? You may feel silly scraping your tongue but it’s another way to keep your mouth free of odor-causing food particles. Scraping may even eliminate film on your tongue containing bacteria.
Tip 3—Drink water.
What is the best thing to drink for your teeth? The answer is water! Does your mouth ever feel dry? If it does, you may not be drinking enough water. Your mouth’s natural cleaner is saliva. If you mouth often feels dry, you may not have enough saliva cleaning your mouth. Drinking water throughout the day will help your mouth stay healthy.
Tip 4—If keeping your mouth in a clean state for a few weeks doesn’t decrease your bad breath, see a doctor.
There are many other medical causes of bad breath. For example, a mouth infection after having a tooth out could cause bad breath. Infections in the tonsils or nasal passages could also contribute to bad breath. Some medications can cause bad breath. Cancer and acid reflux are other causes of bad breath. Talking to your doctor can help treat or eliminate these causes. Find a good dentist that can help you discover what could be causing bad breath.
Tip 5—Chew sugarless gum.
Choose gum over mints. Mints usually contain sugar and can fuel mouth bacteria. Sugarless gum, on the other hand, stimulates your mouth to produce saliva. The more saliva your produce, the cleaner your mouth is.
Even though medical conditions can cause bad breath and deserve to be checked out, you can do a lot by simply changing some simple daily habits. All of the habits that decrease bad breath also help to eliminate cavities and will make your mouth healthier and your smile brighter. No more cavity fillings and a healthier smile? Sounds good to me!