Halitosis, another word for bad breath, can be crippling to your confidence. There’s nothing worse than meeting with an important client, boss, or old friend and discovering that you have killer breath with no way to fix it. Some of our clients struggle with bad breath constantly due to health concerns or medications they are taking, but other clients could be doing something to fix bad breath. You might think a breath mint will do the trick, but that habit can actually make things worse! Here’s a short list of little known ways to defeat bad breath!
1. Don’t Lean on Mints
Breath mints are a short-term solution that will actually make the overall problem worse. You see, bad breath is caused by bacteria in your mouth. Breath mints are usually packed with sugar. Suck on the mint, release the sugar, feed the bacteria, and watch them multiply! It’s a sick cycle, but you can stop it by eliminating the food source. Rather than sucking on a mint, try chewing sugar free gum! This will cause your mouth to salivate, which will cleanse your teeth after a meal and send those bacteria packing!
2. Grab the Floss
Brushing alone only removes about 60% of the bacteria in your mouth. Flossing is needed to remove the other 40%. By removing the excess bacteria, you are cutting the supply of stink in your mouth. All aspects of oral hygiene are important to your breath, but flossing is especially important because it gets the bacteria brushing leaves behind.
3. Care for Your Tongue
One area of the mouth gets looked over time and again: the tongue. The tongue plays an important part in the health of your mouth because the tongue can store all kinds of bacteria and food particles. It’s important to brush your tongue every time you brush your teeth. If you have trouble brushing, try using a tongue scraper to remove extra particles.
As we mentioned before, sometimes other things are contributing to your bad breath. Set up an appointment today to discuss your other options. It might even warrant a visit to your general practitioner to discuss medications you are on. Things like medications and diet can affect your breath even after your oral hygiene is under control. Let us know how we can help, and we’ll look forward to seeing you soon!
