Practically everybody has had some sort of encounter with bad breath. Either they have had the problem themselves or they have smelled it in other people. Despite this prevalence of bad breath, a number of misconceptions about it are still making the rounds all over the country and the world.
- You can find out if you have bad breath by exhaling over your cupped hand. True and false. It is possible to determine the presence of bad breath by using this technique. However, it may only work if your halitosis is so severe, or if you have a very sensitive sense of smell. The truth is that identifying your own bad breath is very hard because your nose is actually connected to your mouth. As such, many internal odors may be screened, including that of bad breath.
There are three sure ways to determine whether your breath stinks or not. Going to the dentist is an option but understandably, not many people like this technique. Alternatively, you can ask your friends if they are reliable enough to be frank about it. Or you can always do it yourself. Take a small teaspoon and scrape the furthest part of your tongue with the hollow part. Let it dry for a few minutes and smell it. If you do have bad breath, the foul odor left on the spoon will be unmistakable.
Bad breath comes from the intestines. True and false, but mostly false. While it is possible that bad breath can stem from digestive disorders, it is more commonly a result of leftover food particles stuck in the crevices of your mouth due to irregular brushing and failure to floss everyday.
The third misconception about bad breath is that it can easily be eliminated if you brush and floss. Well, yes, if you do these activities the right way. Not many people are well-informed about the right ways to brush and floss, probably because not many people visit their dentists regularly anymore. The purpose of brushing and flossing is to rid the mouth of extra food particles after eating. Because of this, it is ideal to brush after each time you eat, and floss at least once a day. As this is not feasible for most of us, brushing twice a day is generally recommended by oral hygienists. What most people don’t know is that after brushing, they also need to clean their tongue and gums, since these can also have food particles that can be a great breeding ground for oral bacteria.
One more widely held belief about bad breath is that it can be eliminated by using a mouthwash. Not so. Mouthwashes can be useful as a quick fix especially if you are eating out and are not able to brush properly. However, like most quick fixes, these products do not offer a long-term solution to your bad breath dilemma. If you rely on mouthwashes, you will be consuming bottle after bottle without actually dealing with the root of your problem.
Mouthwashes can be used as a temporary breath freshener in situations where it’s not practical to brush your teeth right away. But even in these circumstances, you should avoid those that have some kind of alcohol among their ingredients. These products cause dry mouth, which then encourages the growth of oral bacteria that produces that nasty odor that we know as bad breath.
When purchasing a mouthwash, you can consider the products that contain chlorine dioxide. These will not dry up your mouth and are very effective in masking the foul odor released by certain oral bacteria, at least on a short term basis.
If you do need to use mouthwashes, it is essential that you avoid alcohol-based products. Instead, choose the ones that contain chlorine dioxide. This chemical is highly effective in concealing the smell of decaying food in your mouth. A popular brand of mouthwash, ProFresh Oral Rinse, contains this chemical and is said to be the best mouthwash right now, at least, according to advertisements. Of course, who could really trust advertising these days, right? For a more grounded recommendation, you can try asking your dentist.
- Finally, most people believe that bad breath comes from the types of foot that we consume. You’re probably familiar with breath that smells like onions or garlic or cabbage. These are definitely some of the foods that can leave a pungent odor in the mouth. However, the stinky smell caused by these foods is only temporary. Unless you have digestive illnesses or gum disease or some other possible cause of halitosis, the bad breath resulting from eating these foods will eventually disappear. But if you do have some digestive problems, your bad breath might be coming from inside your stomach or intestines and will entail more intensive treatment than simply brushing your teeth three times a day.
Chronic cases of bad breath are not generally caused by this digestive process unless our regular diet consists of many high-sulfur foods (or if you are actually on a diet that is starving your system of carbohydrates). Instead, chronic bad breath results when bacteria in the mouth break down left over food particles creating odorous sulfur particles — in other words, poor oral hygiene. Brush thoroughly twice a day, floss once or twice a day, clean your tongue with a tongue cleaner (tongue scraper) once or twice a day, and eat a balanced diet; this combination is the ‘magic bullet’ for the vast majority of bad breath cases.
