Halitosis – Bad Breath

Post by: Gerarda on 20 Jul 2020

Overview

Depending on the condition of your health, various foods you eat, and level of oral hygiene, you can suffer from halitosis or bad breath. This condition can be embarrassing especially when it is particularly foul smelling. You don´t want to be in the position where someone smells your breath before they are close to you. Embarrassing indeed! Sometimes simply improving your oral hygiene and being consistent with it can improve the problem.

Sure there are countless products that are designed to fight bad breath, such as mouthwash, mints and gum, but they are only a temporary solution and don´t address the cause of the problem.

Things to do before you see your dentist:
• Brush after eating
• Brush your tongue
• Floss after brushing
• Drink plenty of water
• If that doesn’t work then make an appointment to see your dentist
• If your dentist decides that your teeth are not causing the bad breath, then make an appointment with your medical doctor to ensure it is not something more serious

Symptoms

There are those who worry too much about their breath and have no problem and those who have bad breath and don´t know it. A simple test is to blow your breath into a cupped hand and smell it or ask someone close to you to smell your breath. You better know this person well because it is not the nicest request.

When To See A Doctor

If you realize you have bad breath, then look at your oral hygiene. See what you need to change in your lifestyle. Maybe you need to brush your teeth if you don´t already, or maybe you need to brush more often.

Look at when you brush your teeth. If you brush them before breakfast and before you go to bed at night then you need to change your routine and brush after breakfast. If you only brush before breakfast then particles of food sit in the mouth and between teeth until you brush and floss again. Bacteria are feeding between brushing and that is when things happen. Sulfur is produced by food particles left in the mouth and then you end up with bad breath or halitosis.

If you have good oral hygiene and still have bad breath then see your medical doctor.

Making simple changes to your oral hygiene routine can make a big difference. It will also be cheaper on the wallet.