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Halitosis Be Gone – 7 Reliable Ways to Banish Bad Breath

  • March 9, 2018
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You never want to be the one who smells bad – never. It’s not just embarrassing to know that people are repulsed by the scent you’re emitting, it’s also “confidence-crushing.”

The thing is, smelling bad is not that difficult to treat. If you have chronic bad breath, aka halitosis, for example, there are steps you can take to treat it. It’s just a matter of giving the problem proper attention and knowing the appropriate actions to take. It’s important to be fully intentional and committed to treating the condition.

If you wish for halitosis to be gone so you can regain confidence and quality of life, the smartest thing to do is to seek a dentist’s help. It’s imperative to have a dental professional inspect your mouth and identify the root cause of the condition.

Knowing the true reason why your breath smells funky is the best starting point for treatment, especially if you’ve been consistent with proper oral hygiene and you don’t really have cavities. In a lot of cases, chronic bad breath is not even about dental hygiene, it’s due to an underlying health condition such as postnasal drip, diabetes, or kidney disease.

How to Get Rid of Bad Breath

But whatever may be the reason for your bad breath there are ways for you to alleviate the condition. Here are the seven that dental professionals recommend.

1. Drink more water.

Water is so essential to health and people just don’t consume it enough to boost their overall health. It may not be loaded with nutrients but its power is in aiding the elimination of toxins from the body.
Also, it keeps you hydrated which is great if you have a dry mouth. Water helps maintain the proper pH level of your mouth by controlling bacteria action which is one of the leading causes of bad breath.

2. Improve your diet.

Eat more fruits and vegetables that are loaded with vitamins A, Bs, C and K, and manganese, calcium, iron and zinc. A nutritious diet will boost your immune system and make you less prone to infection and inflammation which typically contribute to bad breath.

3. Chew sugarless gum.

Chewing sugarless gum, especially after meals, can control bad breath. This is because this activity stimulates the salivary glands to produce more saliva. More saliva means the mouth remains hydrated and bacteria won’t proliferate as quickly.

4. Scrape your tongue.

A lot of the bad-breath causing bacteria in the mouth settle on the tongue. Scraping your tongue with an inexpensive tongue scraper can help. If you incorporate it into your oral hygiene routine, your breath will definitely stay fresh longer.

5. Use alcohol-free mouthwash.

A dry mouth is an ideal environment for bacteria to proliferate and you don’t get rid of all of it when you brush your teeth. It is therefore advisable to rinse with mouthwash.

But while alcohol is known to kill off bacteria, it leaves the mouth feeling dry. Also, the alcohol content of a mouthwash can irritate oral tissues. As such, find a no-sting, alcohol-free mouthwash or use green tea as an alternative. Green tea has a mild scent and it has powerful anti-bacterial properties to keep mouth bacteria at bay.

6. Consume less sugar.

Sugary foods are mouth bacteria’s best friends. Their interaction results in the creation of glycan strands which lead to tooth decay, gum disease, and bad breath. Also, sugar encourages the faster growth of bacteria in the mouth.

Therefore, if you want to control chronic bad breath effectively, you need to do something about your daily sugar consumption.

7. Take more probiotics.

This will benefit both your dental and overall health. Probiotics neutralize the activities of bad bacteria (including the ones in your mouth) and also aids the body’s elimination process. Eat more foods loaded with probiotics and you’ll see a great improvement in your wellbeing.

Foods that are rich in probiotics are yogurt, kimchi (super-nutritious but you’ll have to brush thoroughly after eating it), kefir (fermented milk drink), and kombucha (fermented green tea) to cite a few.

Getting rid of chronic bad breath is a process. But heed the advice and instructions of your general dental service provider and implement the tips shared here and you can look forward to great provider of general dental services results in no time.

About the author:

Dr. Yvette Porter is the founding dentist at Apple Dental in Newstead, Brisbane, which she started over 11 years ago, and continues to own and practice there today. She works with a team of female dentists who aim to provide gentle, and affordable dental care to patients in Brisbane. Dr. Porter is a member of the Australian Dental Association and is passionate about family, and children’s dentistry, hoping to make their dental experience truly pleasant.