Chronic bad breath is something we all worry about from time to time. The causes of bad breath or halitosis are many and there are several possible solutions to this often embarrassing problem. Poor dental hygiene, throat infections and a post nasal drip from chronic allergies can all leave your breath with a bad odor. Your mouth, gums, tongue and infected teeth can also play a part in giving you halitosis but there are a few things you can do to get rid of bad breath and prevent it from recurring.
Understanding the causes of bad breath will help you to find an effective remedy and once implemented you are on your way to a mouth that not only looks good but smells good too.
How to Tell If you Have Bad Breath
Over time we get used to our own body odors so you may not even be aware that you have bad breath. Some dentists use a breath monitor called a balimeter to uncover the extent of your bad breath. A balimeter measures the amount of sulfur compounds that exist in your breath. Sulfur compounds give the breath a bad smell so a balimeter will tell you the truth even if your friends won’t!
If you are brave enough to want to test your own breath there are a few tricks that will help you find out if you have a problem:
1. Run a strand of unflavored white dental floss between your upper and lower back molars. Take a look at the floss. Is it red or brown? Wait about 45 seconds and smell the floss. If it has an objectionable odor, you probably have bad breath.
2. Hold the tip of your tongue with a clean washcloth and rub the back of your tongue with a clean white washcloth. Again, wait 45 seconds and smell the cloth. If it has an offensive odor, your breath does too.
3. Lick your clean wrist and then wait 45 seconds. Smell the area. This quick test won’t get back to the dorsum (back of the tongue) where the real trouble might be.
If the tests above reveal a problem you may be wondering what is causing your bad breath. Apart from the obvious causes like the foods we eat (garlic and onions are absorbed into the bloodstream and exhaled through the lungs) and smoking or drinking coffee, several oral and respiratory system problems can contribute to halitosis.
