Q&A
Banish Bad Breath
Question:
I think I'm having bad breath. How do I get rid of it?
Halitosis -- or bad breath -- can be a real embarrassing nuisance. If you suspect you have bad breath, there's a simple test to really find out for sure: Lick the back of your hand, let your saliva dry for 10 seconds then take a whiff. If you smell something nasty, here's what to do to get rid of your bad breath.
Bad Breath Control
You may be religiously brushing your teeth, but your tongue is actually your breath's worst enemy. The tongue, especially the part toward the back, is quite capable of harbouring loads of bacteria produce volatile sulphur compounds (VSCs) that cause bad breath. So one of the first things you can do is brush or scrape your tongue. While tongue brushing with a toothbrush works great, it tends to induce the gag reflex. If you are particularly prone to this, you can purchase a tongue scraper for this purpose.
You can also fight bad breath with a mouthwash that contains anti-bacterial ingredients such as quaternary ammonium compounds, zinc gluconate or cetylpyidinium chloride to kill those germs as well as freshen your breath.
Drinking at least 8 glasses of water per day also helps: Dry mouth is a common cause of bad breath, so drink plenty of fluids to flush your system. Keep mouth sprays and breath mints in your bag for those times when you're on the move and need to freshen your breath.
Sometimes, though, bad breath is caused by tooth decay. If you suspect you have dental caries, it is best to let your dentist check it out. And if you're smoking, here's another reason to quit: smoking dries up your mouth and causes your breath to go bad.
Copyright © ShoppingLifestyle®
