The Five-and-a-half Easiest Ways To Prevent Bad Breath

 

When people notice their breath smells, most of them pop a breath freshener and go about their day, considering the problem solved. And that can be true for a while, but there is something important about bad breath that you need to know: chewing gum, mints, mouth sprays; these are all just band-aids. They don’t cure bad breath; they just mask the symptoms for a short while.

 

To truly beat wicked breath you have to get to the root of the cause. Chronic foul smelling breath is actually an indicator of a much larger problem: something is happening in your body to cause that foul odor. We here at Wurzbach Parkway Family Dental have compiled a short list of the most common causes of dragon breath and what you can do to calm the beast.

 

What is bad breath?

Sometimes you just have the occasional case of morning breath, and that’s normal. But chronic bad breath is known as Halitosis. According to the American Dental Association (ADA), 50% of adults have reported having halitosis or bad breath at one point. (Which means that the other 50% must be liars because everyone has had bad breath. Come on people; we’re all adults here.)

 

Your mouth is a greenhouse in which it grows lush bacteria. That bacteria lives there year-round and occurs naturally, so no getting rid of it, BUT, the food you eat is also the food your mouth bacteria eats. It picks your teeth clean of the leftover food particles and discharges waste (poops), which is the smell that causes you to break out the Tic Tacs.

 

This is one of the many reasons why brushing and flossing are so critical in preventing bad breath. The longer you wait to brush and floss, the more time the bacteria has to feast on the food trapped between your teeth, and the more icky-smelling waste it will produce.

 

 

The Five-and-a-half Easiest Ways To Prevent Bad Breath

 

1.) Drink more water

Besides brushing and flossing it is critical that you drink more water. Water helps rinse away extra particles and keeps your mouth hydrated. Your mouth needs to stay hydrated because it produces saliva which is a 24-hour workhorse to continually rinse and clean your teeth. If you’re dehydrated then naturally your body will produce less saliva, so make it a point to drink more water throughout your day, especially if your mouth is feeling dry.

 

2.) Eat crunchy veggies.

Foods like carrots, broccoli, celery, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, peppers, cucumbers, etc. are healthy, fibrous, hydrating, and natural nasty breath prevention. Their crunchiness helps to scrape away the buildup of bad-breath causing plaque. (Plaque is that sticky white-ish bacteria that the dentist scrapes off your teeth, and it loves to cause cavities and gum disease.) Also, since raw vegetables are so chewy, this triggers an increase in your mouth’s production of saliva, which adds an additional cavity-fighting warrior to the front lines.

 

2.5) Crunchy fruits are okay too.

However, you should try to snack on vegetables more, mainly because fruits contain a higher sugar content. Sugar is highly acidic, and that corrosive acidity is one of the main causes of cavities and gum disease.

 

3.) Scrape your tongue.

This removes a ton of that bad-breath causing bacteria because that’s where they like to hang out. If you stick out your tongue in the mirror, you might notice a yellowish film on it towards the back of your throat. Remove it with a toothbrush or a tongue scraper for a fresher mouth. You’d be surprised how many people don’t know that they can do this.

 

4.) Quit smoking.

Just do it already. You know why.

 

5.) Visit your dentist.

Be sure to schedule annual checkups, that way your dentist is familiar with the state of your mouth and can see if and when anything changes. Your dentist can detect oral health issues before they become serious and put your teeth back on the right path.

 

If you’re having halitosis issues, or are looking to learn more about what causes bad breath, or just want to come in for a checkup, we’re always available to talk here. We want to help you beat breath so you can boldly walk into that interview, that first date, or that big meeting with confidence knowing that your breath is flawlessly fresh.