Bad breath, everyone knows the phenomenon. An unpleasant breath is characterized by a foul mouth odor or "stinking out of your mouth". The strange and bad thing about a bad or smelly breath is that you do not smell your own breath or hardly. Almost 25 percent of the Dutch population suffers from bad breath, but the majority is not even aware of it.Bad breath, everyone knows the phenomenon. An unpleasant breath is characterized by a foul mouth odor or "stinking out of your mouth". The strange and bad thing about a bad or smelly breath is that you do not smell your own breath or hardly. Almost 25 percent of the Dutch population suffers from bad breath, but the majority is not even aware of it.
Because you are used to the smell of your breath, you do not smell it or hardly. You do not even have to notice your bad breath. The people around you are those who suffer from it if you stink from your mouth. However, do not be reassured by this, because research shows that family and friends seldom show each other their stinking or filthy breath. Bad breath or halitosis is therefore in many cases a "silent" problem.
Here are some tips to prevent bad breath and to treat with means ...
Test yourself for a bad breath
Do not go into the causes and solutions for bad breath immediately. After all, you first have to know if you are stinking from your mouth and are suffering from a bad breath. You can easily test yourself for bad breath and foul mouth odors with the help of these tips:
1. Make a simple smear of your breath by hand
Spread the back of your tongue over the top of your hand or over a dressing gauze. Allow the saliva to dry up and then smell it. If the dried-up saliva stinks, your mouth smell also stinks.
2. Ask a friend about the quality of your mouth odor
Ask a good friend for his or her honest and unpalatable opinion. Your partner, father, mother, brother, sister or best friend can give you an honest answer. But then you have to ask and really want to know.
3. Do a halimeter test in the hospital to examine your breath
Request a halimeter test from a dental hygienist, for example via your doctor. A halimeter is a medical instrument that indicates exactly how many volatile sulfur compounds are in your breath. These sulfur compounds are the cause of a dirty mouth smell.
Causes of bad breath & smelly mouth odor
A continuous stinking breath is called oral halitosis. Before you can start treating bad breath or "stinking out of your mouth", it is good to know how a bad mouth smell or bad breath develops . Here is a list with the causes for bad mouth smell ( source ) ...
- Good bacteria (oral flora) cause bad breath
Bad breath and the associated foul mouth odor are mainly caused by "good bacteria" or oral flora. These bacteria are present in everyone's mouth - and especially on the back of the tongue! When these bacteria break down proteins they produce a volatile sulfur compound and thus an unpleasant odor. Especially mouth bacteria that settle in almondstones spread an extremely unpleasant mouth odor.
- Poor oral hygiene can cause foul mouth odors
Even bad bacteria can cause bad breath. The more bad bacteria in your mouth, the more you stink from your mouth. Poor oral hygiene therefore guarantees a smelly mouth odor. Dental plaque, plaque on the tongue and bacterial infections in the mouth or throat are therefore disastrous for your breath. Good oral hygiene can partially prevent bad breath.
- Morning-fetus can cause a stinking breath
At night, much less saliva is produced in the oral cavity. That's fine, because otherwise you might suffocate in your saliva during your sleep. The disadvantage of the low saliva production during the night is that almost everyone has an unpleasant breath / mouth odor / mouth air when getting up in the morning. This phenomenon is also called morning fetal. If you drink a glass of water in the morning, the oral flora shift from gram negative to gram positive, which reduces bad breath.
- Food can spread a stinking mouth air
For example, if you eat garlic, onion, leek, anchovies, dairy or certain sharp herbs and spices, bad breath is the result. In fact, there is no question of halitosis in case of a temporary bad breath due to food. In the case of one, the smell of food remains in the oral cavity longer than in the other. You will soon no longer smell your sticky breath by food because you get used to it quickly.
- Dry mouth is a common cause of bad breath
A persistent dry mouth is also called xerostomia, hyposalivation or "dry-mouth syndrome". Hyposalivation involves a shortage of saliva. Too little saliva causes a lack of saliva enzymes. A shortage of saliva enzymes almost always causes bad breath and bad mouth odor.
- Diseases & medicines as the cause of a bad mouth odor
Bad breath is also often caused by rotten teeth, smoking and medication use. Especially certain diseases, such as diabetes, immune diseases and certain gastrointestinal disorders can be the cause of a smelly breath and bad mouth odors. Medications such as beta-blockers, antidepressants, fluid-drifting agents, blood pressure reducers and corticosteroids can also cause bad breath.
Treating bad breath: how to prevent bad mouth odors
Bad breath, bad mouth odor or "stinking out of your mouth" can be prevented, treated and corrected . In particular, bacteria are the culprits in case of a stinking breath. Cleaning the mouth, killing the bacteria and removing a breeding ground for these bacteria is a good start. Here are all necessary tips to remedy and treat a dirty mouth air ...
- Drink water to treat bad breath
Drink plenty of water and moisten your mouth regularly. Water prevents a lack of saliva and the associated foul mouth air. Preferably do not drink coffee, alcohol, dairy or sugar-rich drinks if you often suffer from bad breath. If you always have a dry mouth due to a chronic lack of saliva, your doctor can prescribe a saliva substitute (artificial saliva).
- Antibacterial products to correct bad breath
Use a combination of proper antibacterial oral hygiene products. In particular mouth spray, tongue cleaner, gargle and antibacterial mouthwash water (Listerine®, Duodent® etc.) are effective against a bad mouth odor. Please note: antibacterial agents must contain effective, bactericidal or inhibiting substances such as chlorhexidine or cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC). Drugs with peppermint or menthol do nothing against bacteria, but only temporarily mask the bad smell of your breath.
- Brush teeth to treat bad breath
Brush your teeth twice a day. This works wonders against bad mouth odors. Bad breath disappears when using a toothpaste that kills bacteria and prevents volatile sulfur compounds. The more often you brush your teeth, the better you will fix your unpleasant breath.
- Flossing your teeth to relieve a bad breath
Clean the spaces between your teeth with floss, toothpicks and / or a tooth carrier. There are at least as many odor-producing bacteria in the interstices as on the tooth surfaces. Especially food leftovers between your teeth are extremely receptive to bacteria. Flossing or raging can thus remedy your bad breath.
- Tongue scraping resolves a smelly, bad breath
The place in your mouth where most bacteria are located is usually the tongue. Especially the part of your tongue that is located further back in your throat is usually an accumulation of bacteria. Use your toothbrush or a special tongue scraper to clean the back of your tongue, especially if your tongue is white or yellow!
- A dentist can treat your stinking breath
Preferably go to the dentist every six months. A dentist does not only check your teeth for holes (dental rot), but also for general tooth decay (caries), tartar and dental erosion. A combination of these factors can cause a bad, smelly breath. If tooth and gum problems are identified and corrected in time, then bad breath can be prevented or eliminated.
Finally
Follow the above 3 tips to diagnose bad breath, 6 tips to prevent a smelly breath and 6 tips to remedy or treat a bad mouth odor. Do you continue to suffer from bad breath or "stink out of your mouth" and do you have a date tonight? You can then temporarily relax your mouth odor with mouth spray (peppermint hydrolate), chewing gum or a peppermint.
Do you have additional tips to prevent bad breath or bad mouth odor? Leave your advice below in a comment!