How can you get rid of bad breath?

Bad breath is quite embarrassing and annoying at the same time. It can be embarrassing when someone turns away from you when they smell your breath from proximity or mention it to you. It can be annoying when you feel your foul breath and have done lots to control it but in vain. Although one can’t get rid of bad breath for good, it can indeed be kept contained by following a few simple oral habits.

• Brushing And Flossing

The simplest and most effective way to keep bad breath to a minimum is by maintaining optimum oral hygiene. Brushing your teeth gets rid of the majority of microbes from them. Flossing removes the microbes from between the teeth (intersections), which also helps to get rid of the food residues and other lodged particles. Doing these twice a day enables you to keep a fresher breath for longer, along with other benefits such as healthier gums, reduced chances of developing cavities, whiter teeth, etc.

• Mouthwash

Rinsing your mouth with mouthwash helps to clean between the teeth and the tongue as well. The mouthwash can enter the hard-to-reach corners of the mouth and leave a minty aftertaste. It helps you have a fresh-smelling breath for the next few hours.

• Tongue Cleaning

Unlike the teeth, the tongue is all soft tissue that has numerous taste buds on its surface. The gaps between taste buds form an excellent breeding ground for the microbes, which is why thousands of microbes can be found on it. The toxic discharges released by these bacteria leave a coating on the tongue that predominantly contributes to the foul smell. You may clean your tongue using a tongue scraper or simply brush it using your toothbrush to eliminate the foul smell.

• Diet

The foods you eat also contribute to your foul breath. Garlic and onion are major offenders in this regard. In fact, gargling your mouth with water or even brushing your teeth after having the meal wouldn’t make your breath better. This is because the foul breath would emerge from your lungs, which is why it is best to avoid such foods altogether.

• Smoking And Tobacco

Smoking cigarettes and chewing tobacco not only causes bad breath but many other health hazards, as already documented. Smoking dries out the tongue and reduces saliva production, thereby making bad breath even more severe. If you needed yet another reason to quit smoking, here you go!

• Dental Visits

Looking at your teeth in the mirror may only give you a frontal view of your smile, but not the whole picture. Hence, visiting your dentist for routine consultations is highly recommended so that they can thoroughly screen your mouth for oral concerns and offer suitable treatment. One of the prominent procedures a dentist would carry out during the routine consultation is scaling and root planing. They help to get rid of the harmful plaque and tartar deposits from the teeth and root surfaces, thereby reducing your bad breath and keeping you from a few other oral conditions as well.

We request you to schedule a consultation with our dentist to get all your oral concerns addressed at the earliest. Please call us at (503) 574-4000 or schedule an online consultation, and we’ll be happy to help.