Freshen up your breath

Ever wondered why that co-worker at a workstation across the room is secretly called ‘a trash can’? And isn’t it true that everyone steps back a two when he approaches them? Well that could be unpleasant mouth odour.

WTN gets you more on oral hygiene

Causes

Bad breath is usually caused due to the breakdown of food and smelly gases released by the bacteria that coat teeth, gums and tongue. Also, unhealthy lifestyle can lead to bad breath. But sometimes it could indicate a medical disorder too. However, there could be other causes too contributing diligently to the problem.

•        Bacteria collection: Poor dental care or improper brushing and irregular flossing habits allow the bacteria to collect.

•        Rotting food bits: Collection of food between teeth, on the tongue and around the gums.

•        Stinky foods: Foods with strong odour like garlic and onions get absorbed into the bloodstream and into the lungs where it is expelled. You can suppress the stench by brushing, flossing and with mouthwash.

•        Dry mouth: Also known as xerostomia, dry mouth occurs when there is a decrease of saliva. This could be due to medications, salivary gland issues or breathing through mouth. The elderly often suffer dry mouth.

•        Smoking: Smoking or tobacco consumption causes staining, loss of taste, and gum irritation.

•        Infection: Prolonged infection in respiratory tract, postnasal drip, chronic bronchitis, diabetes, gastrointestinal disturbance, and liver or kidney ailment too lead to a stinking mouth.

•        Poor-fitted appliances: Poorly fitting dental appliances, yeast infections and cavaties kill fresh breath.

•        Crash dieting: Dieting, frequent fasting or surviving on low-carbohydrate diets cause the body to break down fat, producing chemicals called ketones which result in foul smell.

Prevention

Good oral hygiene is extremely essential to curb bad breath. If necessary seek your dentist’s help to overcome it.

•        Practice good oral hygiene. It is important to know the correct brushing technique

•        Ensure regular visits to the dentist for cleaning and checkup

•        Brush twice each day to remove rotten food and plaque. Clean your tongue properly

•        Use floss or an interdental cleaner regularly

•        Switch over to fluoride toothpaste and antibacterial mouth rinses disguise bad breath

•        Cut down on sugary food and drinks

•        Drink lots of water to keep your mouth moist. Sugarless chewing gum also stimulates production of saliva

•        Replace toothbrush every five months – especially after an illness

Clean dentures

Dentures can become a source of foul smell if not proper care is not taken. Just like the original set of teeth, food bits can get stuck around the edges and rot. So, make sure you first soak the dentures in a bowl of water or special cleaner for sometime to remove food leftovers and use a specialised denture brush. Over a period of time there could be a build-up of stains which can be removed by the expert.

Check your braces

Maintaining oral hygiene can be difficult with braces on. Hence, it is important to pay attention to each teeth – especially where the braces interact with your teeth – inside and out. Under such circumstances, angular or pointy (interproximal) brushes come really handy. Get into the habit of using floss thread, which is reusable and clears beneath the wires easily. Those with braces need to devote good time to oral hygiene.

DIY

Lick the inside of wrist and sniff. If the smell is bad you know what to do. Secondly, if you have a lingering bad taste in your mouth you will understand you suffer bad breath.-windowtonews