Bad breath or Halitosis can affect anyone, anytime. It’s a result of bad oral hygiene, consumption of food high in acidity/sweetness/protein. It can also be related to dryness of the mouth, consumption of tobacco-based products, or a tooth decay. But there’s no need to panic if you have it because it can be treated with constant care, and maintenance of good oral hygiene. Read on to find out tips on how to help cure bad breath.
1. Never Give Up On Brushing And Flossing
The sticky build-up on your teeth, called plaque, houses all kinds of bacteria in your mouth that can give off bad smell. It becomes even worse when food gets stuck between the teeth and adds to the pre-existing smell. So, to tackle plaque and lodged food, it’s mandatory to brush your teeth at least twice a day and floss once. If the condition is atrocious, brushing and flossing a bit more will be beneficial. But, do it too often and you’ll be putting your teeth at risk of decay.
2. Steer Clear Of Sour Edibles
Yes, particularly onion and garlic! The worst thing about them is that the smell doesn’t go away even after brushing or rinsing. When you consume garlic/onion, it enters the bloodstream and travels to the lungs giving a foul smell when you exhale. But, you can’t always avoid eating them! Well, you can try to lessen your consumption or completely shun them when you’re going out to meet people. However, renunciation will the best remedy.
3. Say No To Tobacco
Apart from cancer, heart diseases, blood clots, high blood pressure, wrinkling of skin, and loss of sensory abilities, tobacco causes foul breath, gum diseases, and staining of teeth—whether you snuff, chew, or smoke it. Forget about bad breath, take a look at all the harm it can cause you mentioned above—they’re life-threatening.
Make your mind up and quit today. You can find nicotine patches and gums at the pharmacy to help you with the nicotine temptations. Taking help from your peers and your doctor will also prove beneficial to your ‘I quit tobacco today’ program. This will definitely help cure bad breath.
4. Gums For Mint
You might think mints for bad breath have you covered but in reality, these mints you pop to tackle bad breath contain sugar. And this sugar is an open invitation to the bacteria present in your mouth to feast on the sugar you just presented. They feast on the sugar to produce acids that decay your teeth, ultimately causing bad breath. You can chew sugarless gums instead because when you do that your mouth secretes saliva— which is a natural defense mechanism against plaque.
5. Hydrate Your Mouth
Your teeth can decay and cause bad breath if your mouth isn’t making much saliva. You already know that saliva is the defense mechanism against plaque, but if you’re short on saliva drink plenty of water during the day. You can also suck on sugarless candy or chew sugarless gum to get your salivary glands working.
There are other steps you can take, such as visiting your dentist periodically for a complete oral check-up. Dr Vidya Varathan Dental Care provides complete dental hygiene check-ups at affordable prices. Keeping your gums healthy, rinsing your mouth with water after every meal, using an alcohol-free mouthwash, and scraping/brushing the lodged food and bacteria off your tongue, are some other things you have to keep in mind to help cure bad breath.
Watch what you consume and maintain good oral hygiene to keep bad breath at bay. And if you already have it, you can significantly reduce the foulness by following the steps mentioned above.
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