How to Fight Bad Breath (Halitosis)

You enter a room and all others see is physical perfection. Every hair in place, make-up well done, your suit fitting perfectly with glossy manicured nails. Then you begin to speak and there is an unpleasant scent coming from your mouth. Gone is that perfect image and all that remains is an imprint of that scent. Bad breath or halitosis affects everyone at some point or the other, but for some it is a daily, ongoing battle. It affects how you feel about yourself and how others see and behave around you. Everyone may not be fortunate enough to have someone tell you that you’ve fallen victim to bad breath, but if you are not sure cup your hands around your mouth, exhale harshly and then take a deep breath – if you’re still standing then you are good to go.

Bad breath seems to be quite a viable market with companies advertising the latest fix-it from toothpastes that last during the night to a little pill that covers you for the entire day. The average mouth hosts some 600 different types of bacteria, most of which are found on the tongue. The bad scent is attributed to the amino acids and proteins found daily in our food and are left at the back of the tongue. Since most people don’t take the time to clean that area properly, the bacteria has a fest on the leftover food found there. A tongue cleaner or tongue brush is the ideal tool for that particular task. Contrary to belief, since your toothbrush is designed and shaped for brushing your teeth, a tongue scraper is the only sure way to cover the necessary ground. Also, most dentists recommend that you clean your tongue before eating, since this will stop the germs from being swallowed with your meal. Research has proven that almost 80 to 95 per cent of bad breath originates from your tongue, while only five to 20 per cent are from the stomach and food stuck between the teeth.

Despite what you may have been told about toothbrushes and mouthwash, there is only one true way to get all the food from the tiny spaces between your teeth – dental floss. Floss is made from either nylon or teflon and comes in a variety of festive colours, flavours and shaped containers. It is advised that you should floss all your teeth, even the ones in the back, at least twice a day or after each time you brush your teeth. Studies conducted by the American Dentist Association show that only about 12 per cent floss each day, with a staggering 49 per cent not flossing at all.

Even after brushing your teeth three times a day, flossing just as often and scraping your tongue raw, the bad breath is still there. Deeper, underlying conditions may be solely at fault. The ongoing debate about whether the stomach is a common source of bad breath is still ongoing. Only the occasional burp may be blamed, but that isn’t a constant thing. Chronic liver failure, lung infections and a little something known as ‘fish odour syndrome’ may take the blame when all other traditional avenues have been explored and omitted. Fish odour syndrome occurs in a very small portion of the population and is a by-product of their bodies being unable to breakdown certain acids from the foods they are eating, especially eggs and fish.

To keep a generally happy mouth, one of the first basic rules is to brush and floss your teeth everyday, at least twice a day or after every meal. Since dry mouths can help harbour breath fugitives, chewing gum can help keep the mouth moist and ‘minty fresh’. Also, drinking the recommended eight glasses of water will help keep the water level in the body at its peak. So, brush up, stock the body up with water and you should be able to safely talk your life away.

Discover how I cured my nasty Bad Breath here.

Source - Barbados Advocate - Barbados

Copyright 2009