Are you looking for ways of fighting off bad breath permanently from your mouth?
If you want to keep your mouth feel clean and fresh, this post will outline the simple steps you can take to improve your breath and make your gums and teeth healthy.
Everyone experiences bad breath at some point in their life. According to the American Dental Association, at least half of adults have had foul breath in their lifetime.
Bad breath (also known as halitosis) can be humiliating and can cause anxiety in some cases.
That’s why most supermarket stores are heavily stocked with mouthwashes, mints, gums, and other oral products designed to stop bad breath. Unfortunately, most of these products don’t address the root cause of the problem.
This post will help you learn the symptoms, causes, and how to stop bad breath permanently.
Without further ado, let us dive in!
What Are the Symptoms or Signs of Bad Breath?
Symptoms of foul breath can be hard to detect on your own because the only significant sign is a nasty smell coming out of your mouth. Besides the foul breath in your mouth, you may discover a bad taste in your mouth. Since it’s difficult to self-detect bad breath, request a relative or close friend to assess your mouth.
Know What Causes Bad Breath?
Poor Oral Hygiene
Lousy breath generally originates in the mouth, where bacteria are always present. When you eat, bacteria crushes the food particles trapped in your teeth or mouth. The combination of decaying food and those bacteria produce an unpleasant odor.
Poor dental hygiene is the most common cause of foul breath. However, flossing and brushing regularly helps to remove the trapped food particles before it decays. Brushing also gets rid of the plague, a thin bacterial film that starts to develop if you don’t brush or floss your teeth as recommended by dentists and thus causes a terrible odor.
Strong Beverages and Foods
When you eat garlic, onions, and other foods with strong odors, you can have some noticeable odor in your mouth from such foods. Besides, if you drink healthy beverages like coffee with a strong smell can contribute to bad breath.
Dry Mouth
Bad breath can also occur if you don’t produce enough saliva, thus causing dry mouth. Saliva ensures that your mouth is ever clean and minimizes the chances of bad odor. Dry mouth can be a severe issue, especially if you have a salivary condition.
4 Effective Remedies for Bad Breath
Bad breath is socially unacceptable and can even lead to low self-esteem if not adequately addressed! Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can take to get rid of foul breath permanently. Here are some home remedies for bad breath that you can try:
1. Exercise Good Dental Hygiene
According to research studies, inadequate brushing and flossing habits are the leading cause of bad breath. Regular tooth brushing combined with flossing is the two significant steps you can take to keep off bad breath. Therefore, it is recommended that you brush your teeth at least two times and floss once in a day to prevent odor-causing bacteria from accumulating in your mouth.
Don’t overdo it, though. If you brush your teeth too hard, then your enamel will wear down and thus make your tooth a candidate for decay.
2. Drink Plenty of Water
Research shows that dry mouth often leads to bad breath. Saliva plays a crucial role in keeping your mouth clean and fresh.
Your mouth dries typically during the night, and that’s why your breath is mostly worse in the morning.
Fortunately, you can prevent dry mouth by drinking a lot of water. By staying hydrated, you will be encouraging the salivary glands to produce enough saliva. You should target to drink at least eight glasses of water per day.
3. Avoid Foods that Cause Bad Breath
Garlic and onions are significant offenders in this category. Such foods, when excreted and ingested by the lungs, cause foul breath. But neglecting acidic foods also helps to minimize bad breath as well. Both sugars and acids accelerate the production of odor-causing bacteria.
4. Rinse Out Your Mouth after Every Meal
Apart from freshening your breath, using a mouth rinse helps to minimize gingivitis and plaque. Unfortunately, using mouth rinse alone cannot be valid and needs to be combined with regular brushing and flossing.
Final Thoughts
If bad breath persists despite your proper oral hygiene efforts, consult your dentist to uncover the root cause of your problem. Do not allow the lousy breath to distract your daily routines. Request an appointment with Dr. Fitzgerald to diagnosis your foul breath condition today.
