You look good—clean and fresh. Your clothes are pressed and fitted, and it’s a great hair day. But if you open your mouth and a foul odor emerges, forget it; that will be the lasting impression. How do you solve this problem?
More than 80 million people suffer from bad breath, also known as chronic halitosis. It mostly originates from the tongue and gums. It is embarrassing, but treatable. Here are some tips that will keep your breath feeling and smelling fresh.
Brush Twice Daily
When you were growing up, your parents probably instilled this habit in you. Brushing your teeth prevents plaque buildup and helps remove stains. You may want to do an additional round of brushing using baking soda to reduce your mouth’s acidity, thus making it a less welcoming environment for bacteria to grow and cause bad breath.
Floss Every Day
Your toothbrush can’t reach everywhere in your mouth. Food particles can hide in these areas. Flossing will scour the spaces and crevices between your teeth, not allowing bacteria to feed off built-up food debris.
Brush or Scrape Your Tongue
If you want to rid yourself of any residue that may build up between your taste buds and tongue folds, invest in a tongue scraper. This tool is available in your neighborhood drugstore, or use your toothbrush to brush your tongue.
Use a Mouth Rinse
Using mouthwash after you brush your teeth can reduce plaque and kill the germs that cause bad breath, but you shouldn’t use it in place of brushing or flossing. To resolve the issue of chronic halitosis, you need proper oral hygiene, which means brushing and flossing daily and seeing your dentist at least twice per year.
Hydrate
Drinking six to eight glasses of water daily will help keep your bad breath under control. It will wash away food particles and bacteria and alleviate a dry mouth.
Quit Smoking
Let’s face it: Smoking stinks. If you smoke, you might not notice it, but to any nonsmoker, you smell like an overflowing ashtray. If you want good overall health, including oral hygiene, we suggest quitting as soon as possible.
Chew Sugarless Gum
Chewing sugarless gum or sucking on sugarless candy will trigger saliva flow. The additional moisture will wash away bacteria and food debris that cause bad breath.
Eat Raw Fruits and Vegetables
Chewing on a celery stick or eating an apple will speed up saliva flow and reduce bacteria and food particles. Also, an empty stomach increases stomach acids that can cause foul breath. So, munching on these natural snacks will keep your stomach from expelling nasty smelling blasts.
Get an Oral Checkup
If you would like more information about how to resolve bad breath, contact us today, and we’ll be happy to talk with you. Call us at 512-327-7233 or request a consultation online.
