Bad Breath

Most people do not know how bad their breath smells. There are two easy self-tests to find out if the breath smells bad. One is to pull out the floss between your teeth and sniff it.

You smell bad it the floss smells bad. Cup your hands and blow a deep breath in it. Sniff it and you will come to know if you smell bad or not.

Things to Remember

Brush your teeth every night. Carry a brush with you. Try to brush off the plaque by brushing teeth after every main meal. Brush your tongue. Most people simple brush teeth.

Rinse your mouth as often as you want to. The logic is that you may not be able to brush often but you can rinse your mouth with water after you eat anything. Chewing gums and mint bubble-gums are a temporary solution to bad breath. Form a habit to chew fennel seeds, anise seeds or cloves after meals. These are a natural mouth freshener. Additionally, it helps in digestion.

Use mint based mouth gargles. There are several medicinal based mouth washes like peppermint, eucalyptus, wintergreen and thyme. Try to choose mouth washes which contain zinc, benzoic acid or sodium benzoate. These compounds neutralize odor producing bacteria. Herbal gargles of calendula and sage are equally beneficial.

Watch what you eat. If you persistently have a bad breath then avoid raw onions, hot peppers, smelly salami and garlic. Many a times, no matter how much you brush or floss, the smell may persist due to pungent foods. Some cheeses are very stronger in flavors and may cause bad breath.  Alcohol drinking and tobacco smoking significantly contribute in bad breath.

Remedy

A simple remedy to get rid of bad breath is to chew a lemon wedge or eat a coffee bean. Avoid eating too many sweets. These stick to the teeth and the bacteria thrive on such foods to multiply and produce smell.

When to Seek Doctor

If the bad breath persists for more than 24 hours for no reason then you must consult your dentist. Halitosis may be caused due to zinc deficiency or dehydration.