Prevent Bad Breath: Tips and Facts

There are many ways to avoid bad breath but many people often fail to prevent it simply because they practice wrong oral hygiene or simply neglect the proper way to take care of their teeth. To refresh your memory, here are bad breath prevention tips and facts to remember.

• Maintaining a good oral hygiene can prevent bad breath

A good oral hygiene starts the moment you develop your first set of teeth. Although you cannot bring back that time, it is not too late you to begin taking care of your teeth. A good oral hygiene means brushing your teeth after meal, flossing at least one a day (before you sleep), using oral antiseptic that does not dry your mouth, and visiting a dentist for at least once a year.

• Drinking plenty of water can reduce bad breath

Your mouth contains a good amount of bacteria capable of producing that rotten egg odor out of your mouth. So, you have to make sure that you wash away these bacteria regularly and maintain a fresh breath. Chewing gum (sugarless) is recommended to stimulate the production of saliva that will wash away bacteria and other food particles. Refrain from drinking coffee, alcohol and soft drinks.

• Using fairly new toothbrush and other dental care products to ensure effective oral care.

Replace your tooth brush every 3 to 4 months. Choose a soft-bristled one. A tongue cleaner should be kept clean. Buy good dental floss and oral antiseptic with American Dental Association approval.

• Mouthwash alone will not remove bad breath

Some mouthwash products act like chewing gum that only masks bad breath and replace it with a new and pleasant one. However, mouthwash will help kill germs and bacteria that cause bad breath.

• Breathing into your hand will not tell if you have bad breath or not.

This is because you are used to your own smell and would not be able to detect if the breath you emit is foul or not. Also, when you breathe you use your throat differently as you do when you talk so you cannot tell if you have bad breath or not. To make sure that you have a pleasant breath, just maintain a good oral hygiene.

• Brushing alone will not prevent bad breath

Different people have different ways to brush their teeth. Some complete their tooth brushing under a minute while some require more than that. But no matter how quick or how long you brush your teeth, it does not ensure that you will no longer have bad breath. Since bad breath is caused by several factors like the food you eat and some medical condition, it does not guarantee that brushing alone will prevent bad breath.

The unpleasant odor from your mouth is not entirely coming from your teeth. The greatest contributor of that bad breath is from your tongue. So no matter how often your tooth brushing is, as long as your tongue is dirty, you are still not guaranteed to have a fresh breath.

This is not to say that brushing does not help prevent bad breath. The truth is; it does. But brushing alone will not prevent bad breath. As was mentioned above, you still have to clean your tongue, floss regularly, visit the dentist, and be careful on the food you eat.

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How to Prevent Bad Breath in Children

Bad breath often happens to adults. But children are not immune it, even at the very young age. So if you are a parent or taking care of a child, you must realize the things that you should do in order to prevent bad breath in children.

To begin with, let us discuss the causes of bad breath. This will enable us to determine the things your child should avoid and the things your child should do to prevent the occurrence of bad breath.

There are 4 major causes of bad breath in children: xerostomia, periodontal diseases, nasal infection, and poor oral hygiene.

1. Xerostomia (dry mouth). Dry mouth breeds bacteria. Bacteria break down sugar and protein to produce byproducts called VSCs or volatile sulphur compounds. VSCs cause bad breath. And dry mouth is caused by several things, usually, avoidable ones. Sinus infection, allergies and recurrent colds lead to post-nasal drip. This forces your child to use his mouth in breathing which will cause the mouth to dry easily. Another cause of xerostomia is blanket sucking. Child often does this as a habit. Any foreign object trapped in the nose of your child can prevent a free flow of air on the nostrils which makes breathing hard. This also forces your child to breathe to his mouth and will, in turn, dry his mouth.

2. Periodontal diseases. Bad breath is also associated with periodontal diseases such as tooth decay, gingivitis, and plaque. Often, cavities provide a venue for food particles to reside in the teeth that would further cause bad breath.

3. Nasal infection. This happens when a foreign object is stuck and infects in your child's nose. This creates discharge that is often odorous.

4. Poor oral hygiene practice. Children love to eat but hate to clean their teeth. This results to food particles being stuck in between their teeth. Sweets that contain sugar and dairy products that contain protein, which by the way are two of the most popular types of foods your child want to eat, are broken down by bacteria residing inside their mouth, which produce VSCs. Simply put, bad breath occurs when food particles remain inside your child's mouth.

To prevent bad breath from happening, there are 4 basic things you should do as a parent or guardian:

1. Teach your child the proper oral hygiene. The best way to do it is by brushing your teeth together. Also, allow your child to choose the toothbrush and toothpaste he wants to use. Just make sure that you guide him to the right type of bristle and toothbrush with fluoride.

2. Make visit to the doctor a regular habit. Children at their early age develop fear with dentist. To avoid it, introduce your child as early as 1 year old. Maintain a family dentist so that your child can build a trust to him. A good relationship between your child and his dentist will ensure that he maintains a good dental health.

3. Prevent bad habits that cause nasal infection and dry mouth. If you see you child sucking his blanket, tell him to stop. Or, if you see that he is sticking foreign objects in his nostrils, stop him.

4. Treat allergies, colds, and sinusitis immediately. If these things are prevented, then bad breath is less likely to happen.

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