Bad Breath; Is It As Bad As You Think It Is?

Bad breath, always the first thing you think about when right before you open your mouth. ‘Does my breath smell bad? I can’t tell, it must smell bad…’ You breathe, you sniff, and still you just can’t tell. That moment of doubt can ruin a social situation by flooding you with insecurity. So what do you do?

• Although caused by many things, the top reasons your breath may not be as fresh usually is from a few common problems. Such as:  poor oral hygiene, diet and nutrition, or some health problems such as dry mouth, acid reflux or debris from post nasal drip and respiratory tract infections.
• To keep your bad breath under control try to avoid garlic and onions. These types of foods can stay in your system for up to 72 hours after your consumed them.  Cigarettes, coffee and other odor inducing foods can hang out on the back of your tongue and between your teeth as well. Be sure to brush and floss after you eat and follow with a good mouth rinse. Maintaining a well balanced diet and keeping hydrated as well can help reducing bad breath as well.
• Be sure you actually have bad breath, check with a friend if you really aren’t sure, or if you are able to, run some floss through your teeth and smell. If your floss is discolored or has a bad odor there is a good chance your breath is smelling the same. Interestingly enough there is a small percentage of the population who believe they have bad breath when they do not and patients who are obsessed with their breath. These people are categorized as being either halitophobic’s or pseudo-halitosis patients.
• Keep in mind that although gum, breath mints and some mouth rinses are short term quick fixes if you have chronic bad breath or halitosis be sure to see your dentist and evaluate what can be causing it.

Breaking paradigms: a new definition for halitosis in the context of pseudo-halitosis and halitophobia; D. Falcao, C. Vieira, R. Batista de Amorim