A lot of people have bad breath, which is sometimes called mouth odour. While some people might have mouth odour for a short period, others might have it persistently.
An estimation showed that about 50% of people have bad breath. Brushing regularly or flossing well doesn’t stop it because bad breath is mostly caused by the gums and tongue and not the teeth.
The causes of mouth odour vary, such as closing the mouth for a long time without talking or eating strongly flavoured foods, such as onions and garlic, which may cause your breath to smell unpleasant.
Other known causes of bad breath are smoking and drinking alcohol. Also, Bad breath in the morning is caused by bacteria in the mouth breaking down bits of food eaten the previous night. When people wake up in the morning, they don’t smell fresh but it wears off with time if it is not mouth odour.
Occasionally, bad breath can be as a result of an infection, illness or some kinds of medication.
There are ways to know if you have mouth odour. You could ask a very good friend to be absolutely honest with you if your mouth smells, or do a simple test by licking the inside of your wrist and waiting for the saliva to dry. If the area you licked smells unpleasant, it is likely that your breath does too.
One thing I do personally which has worked is to cover my mouth up to the nose level with the two hands then open my mouth inside especially when I have not spoken for a while. Definitely, the nose will be able to perceive it so I get the feedback of how it smells.
Here are some of the things to do to prevent mouth odour.
- Good Oral Hygiene
By good oral hygiene, I mean brushing the mouth very well. You should endeavour to brush your tongue, gum and teeth in an up-down movement and not just sideways. Open your mouth and brush the upper side especially for the premolars and molars. Also brush your tongue well; you should have a pink tongue not white or black or any other colour.
- Pick your teeth after meals
You should make sure you pick your teeth with toothpicks after each meal so as to prevent food particles from sticking in between the teeth.
- Brush your teeth twice daily
Try to brush at least twice daily, preferably morning and at night after meals. At night, make sure you don’t eat anything again after brushing.
- Consult a Dentist
If the bad mouth odour still persists, please consult a Dentist who will advise you on how to improve your oral health and can refer you for further investigation if they think there may be another cause for your bad breath.
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