How to combat bad breathe?

That moment when someone points out you have bad breath or politely offers a mint with a strange smile. Or worse, when someone shies away from kissing you with a scrunched up face. How embarrassing! Having bath breathe sucks, but if you are better prepared, you can avoid such awkward situations in the future.

Here are tips on how to prevent bad breathe…

What causes bad breathe?

The most common reason that anyone suffers from bad breathe, or halitosis, is a dry mouth. A dry mouth if haven’t been drinking enough water or you have been sleeping or travelling, in which case your body slows down the production of saliva. A dry mouth leads to dead cells on your tongue, which bacteria break down—this process causes the foul odor that we commonly known as bad breath.

Bad breath usually stems from the tongue, although the same process of bacteria breaking down dead cells and food bits can occur in other parts of your mouth, like with food stuck in your teeth.

If you aren’t brushing your teeth well, the same bacteria builds up on your teeth and causes the same odor.

Then there’s the food you eat. Garlic, onions, and certain foods are distinctly known to cause fowl breathe. These aren’t the only causes, of course. There are medical conditions that can also cause bad breath. And of course, then there’s smoking. If you’re a smoker than you are pretty much guaranteed to have bad breathe.

Here are some ways to combat bad breathe

Even if you are not sure if you have bad breathe, following these tips will ensure that you don’t get it.

• Drink more water – Drink Water Regularly. Bacteria build up when you have a dry mouth and the obvious way to combat this is to drink water regularly. If your mouth stays hydrated and is producing saliva regularly, you reduce the chances of bad breath.
• Rinse with Mouthwash – Rinsing and gargling is better at washing away bacteria than chewing gum or popping a mint. It helps kills germs and fights against plaque buildup.
• Use a Tongue Scraper– Drill it into your heads, ladies and gents. There is nothing, nothing, nothing as effective as cleaning the back of your tongue regularly. If you can, you should ideally be cleaning it after every meal.
• Floss Regularly – Bacteria can break down food stuck between your teeth, and emit a foul odor. Flossing regularly helps remove any food particles. Flossing regularly is necessary to deal with bad breath.
• Quit Smoking – If you smoke then there’s not doubt you have bad breathe. Not only is the smell coming from your mouth but also from you lungs. When you smoke tar builds up from the burnt nicotine that resides in the lungs. When you breathe that old tar smell comes from the lungs and out of your mouth. The only way to stop that is to stop smoking. If you can’t give up your nicotine, then keep lots of gum and breathe mints on you at all times.
• Watch what you eat – If your dental hygiene is great — you brush your teeth twice a day, floss once a day, and clean your tongue — your bad breath could be linked to your diet.
• Garlic and onions are quite potent on the mouth, and tend to linger for a while.
• Coffee and alcoholic drinks create a favorable environment for oral bacterial growth. They also have a drying effect, which reduces saliva flow and allows foul-smelling bacteria to linger longer.

A combination of diet and dental hygiene is the best defense against bad breath. If you’ve tried all these techniques but still suffering from bad breathe, the problem could in fact be tooth decay. Be sure check in with your local dental clinic for a regular dental exam.