Give Your Bad Breath A Break
Have you leaned over to give your sweetie a kiss and they put their hand up between your lips and theirs? It wasn’t because they did not want to kiss you. It was because they did not want to be near the odor escaping your mouth. Other than daily brushing and flossing are there other ways to fight halitosis?
Before considering other solutions, it is vital to investigate other causes of halitosis. Certain foods, as well as dry mouth (xerostomia), tobacco use, and periodontal issues can cause bad breath.
Lots of people drink coffee which, coupled with morning breath, leads to dehydration, less flow of saliva and all these lead to more bad breath. This does not mean that you have to give up your morning coffee forever. There are some things you can do to get rid of bad breath for good.
Talking about dry mouth, do you know that alcohol, too, causes dehydration? That is why you feel thirsty for water after drinking. Alcohol dries up the saliva which fights bacteria which causes bad breath. Because of increased alcohol consumption, chances of halitosis also increase and then your romance goes for a toss. Help your self combat this problem by chewing sugarless gum and don’t forget to drink water. Chewing gum helps increase the flow of saliva.
Daily brushing, tongue cleaning, flossing and a thorough rinsing should be an unavoidable part of your routine. Ideally this should be done after every meal or even every time you have eaten anything. Once again, eating proper foods helps in fighting bad breath. A diet which is rich in fruits and vegetables will help produce acid as also fiber which will prevent bad breath.
As you peruse the hygiene isle at the stores, you may feel overwhelmed at the choices available at combating bad breath odors. Most of the products do very little to actually kill the bacteria residing on the back of your tongue. If your bad breath is a systemic problem, these products will help very little. The most these products can do is make your breath smell sweet for a limited amount of time by masking the odors as opposed to killing the bacteria. The exception to this rule is mouthwashes that contain zinc chloride or those obtained for your dental provider.
Hydrogen peroxide is an efficient rinse because it introduces oxygen that kill bacteria thriving in an anaerobic environment, thus effectively killing them. If you do not have hydrogen peroxide, you can use plain water as it can help in loosening up particles wedged between the gums and the teeth. Left inside the mouth on the tongue, these bacteria can multiply very fast and cause bad breath.
Your diet has an important role to play in the characteristic of your breath. The typical Western American diet can be an important cause of bad breath, especially if it is high caloric. A low calorie diet will not only help you lose weight, but also give you the added bonus of decreasing the incidence of bad breath.
Have you ever noticed when you are dining out that many times the meal is served with beautiful sprigs of parsley? You thought it was there to make the entree look nice? That is one reason, although if you were to place a small piece of that in your mouth after your delicious meal, you would find a refreshing aroma feeling your mouth. Yes, parsley is beneficial to halting bad breath odor. The next time you are eating out don’t throw the parsley away, enjoy a bit of freshness after your meal.
