Table of contents:
Nothing is more embarrassing than accepting a complaint from the next door friend if you have bad breath. In fact, you swore you brushed your teeth this morning before leaving the house. And it turns out to be true, once you try to sniff your own breath… Oops! The fragrant "fragrance" is quite good drunk. Do not panic. We have great tips to help you prevent bad breath. Read on below.
What causes bad breath?
Bad breath can occur for several reasons, including:
- Eating certain foods that can make your breath smell bad. Take garlic, for example, which can make your breath smell bad even though you've brushed your teeth and rinsed it with mouthwash. In addition, red meat can also worsen your breath, because the decay of the remaining protein in the meat and cheese that you eat can cause a bad smell.
- Poor dental hygiene. If you don't brush and floss every day, food particles stay in your mouth, causing bad breath.
- Dry mouth. Saliva helps clean the mouth and removes particles that cause bad odors. Thus, decreased saliva production can cause the mouth to become dry and cause an unpleasant odor.
- Other causes, namely consumption of certain drugs, disease, and smoking habits.
Then, how do you prevent bad breath?
Here are some simple steps to prevent bad breath and leave your mouth feeling fresh and clean:
- Brush your teeth regularly. Rarely, toothbrushes can make food debris stick to your teeth which can cause plaque on the teeth which can cause bacteria to collect in the mouth and cause bad breath. Brush teeth regularly, at least twice a day can prevent bad breath.
- Gargle. Washing the mouth is not only to freshen the mouth, but also can provide protection from oral bacteria. To prevent bad breath, you can rinse your mouth every day with mouthwash.
- Rubbing the tongue. The coating on the tongue can be a place for bacteria to thrive. Therefore, to prevent this, you can rub your tongue gently to remove bacteria, food debris, and dead cells.
- Avoid foods that trigger bad breath. Some foods can trigger bad breath, such as garlic. So one way to prevent this is to avoid or limit the consumption of foods that can trigger bad breath.
- Do not smoke. In addition to causing cancer, smoking can also damage gums, stain teeth, and cause bad breath. Therefore, to prevent bad breath, you need to stop smoking.
- Drink lots of water. Lack of saliva in the mouth or dry mouth conditions can trigger bad breath. To prevent this, you need to consume more water or consume sugar-free gum to stimulate the production of saliva in your mouth.
- Eat fruits and vegetables. Eating more fruits and vegetables can prevent and reduce bad breath because fruits and vegetables contain lots of water which can help keep your mouth moist. Saliva is a natural way to keep your breath fresh.
- Consume green tea. A study found that the polyphenol content in green tea can protect drinkers against cavities and bad breath.
When to see a doctor
If lifestyle changes are not eliminating or reducing your bad breath, then you need to see your dentist to find out the cause and get the right medication and treatment.