Do you suspect that you have bad breath? Do colleagues maintain a distance when you stand close to them and talk? Don’t be embarrassed. You are not alone.
There are lots of people who face the problem of bad breath. Some of the causes of bad breath are not in your control. Before we seek the help of the dentist, here are some methods that we can try on our own to get rid of bad breath:
- Brush and floss frequently
When plaque or bacteria stick to your teeth, they cause bad breath. That’s not all. Even food particles play a role as contributing factor to bad breath. So brush your teeth after meals, along with flossing. But take care not to brush too hard so as to damage the natural enamel of your teeth.
- Steer clear of foods that cause bad breath
There are certain foods that cause bad breath. Some of the most popular odor causing foods includes onion and garlic.
Brushing your teeth after eating stinky food doesn’t help as it enters your blood stream, after which it enters your lungs through while you channelize the stench out.
The only solution in this case is to stop eating them or avoid it just before you have to interact with others.
- Rinse with mouthwash
Water might not do the trick always. So rinse your mouth using a mouth wash after a meal to rid it of all the bacteria and germs present in your mouth and take away any bad breath.
- Scrape your tongue
Bacteria will not only deposit on your teeth and gums but also on your tongue. Brush your tongue using your tooth brush. If any area of the tongue in not reachable you can use a tongue scraper that is designed especially for the purpose.
- Skip mints after a meal
Sugar attracts bacteria in the mouth, which turns into acid and then in the long run leads to erosion of teeth and causes bad breath.
So instead of sucking on a sugar mint after a meal, opt to chew a sugar free chewing gum that will encourage the secretion of saliva that is a natural defense against any kind of tooth, mouth or gum related issues.
- Quit tobacco
Whether it is chewing tobacco or smoking, tobacco is basically a problem that can ruin our health as a whole. Apart from causing cancer, tobacco can also cause bad breath. Try to kick the habit, not just for the problem of bad breath but for the overall health of your body.
- Moisten your mouth
Sometimes your mouth does not produce enough saliva, so to compensate that loss of moisture you need to drink lots of water and hydrate your body of its lost fluids.
- Gum health
Sometimes the bad odor in our mouth is caused by unhealthy gums. So do visit the dentist to clean the deposit of plaque and bacteria buildup in your gums or find the solution to any other factor that is causing your gums to give out bad odor.
Don’t worry too much. Give a try to these methods. And if the problem still persists after your greatest efforts, don’t forget to fix the next appointment with the dentist.
Written by: Rasha Ashraf