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Do you ever find yourself breathing ever so inconspicuously into the palm of your hand to check the status of your breath? Have you become suspicious that maybe your breath is not as fresh as it could be? Bad breath is extremely common among people of all ages. Roughly 40,000,000 American today suffer from bad breath. In most cases, there are things that people can do to manage and treat their bad breath.
 Bad breath, also known as halitosis or oral malador, can be caused by a variety of things including strong foods, poor oral hygiene, sinus problems or disorders with the stomach. Transitory bad breath refers to bad breath relating to food issues and generally expires within a 72 hours period. Chronic bad breath referrers to issues that are long term and stem from other sources such as sinuses or the stomach.
There are a variety of things that people can do to combat bad breath. Routinely brushing and flossing and rinsing out the bacteria in your mouth can be an instant remedy in many cases of bad breath.
Many bacteria in the mouth tend to congregate on the back of the tongue and routinely using a “tongue squeegee” can purge the bacteria and make a dramatic improvement in bad breath over a period of time. These tongue squeegees apply equal force across the surface area of the tongue, forcing bacteria to come out of the many grooves and crevasses that they may be hiding in.
Chewing gum to stimulate saliva production can help with bad breath as well. Saliva is the mouths natural way of cleaning out the mouth. Not to mention the gum with give you a temporary breath boost.
Going to see the dental hygienist regularly is an outstanding way to fight bad breath.
The dental hygienist will be able to scrape away the sticky plaque which provides a great place for bacteria to group.
For people that have chronic cases of bad breath caused by other things such as stomach disorders like reflux disease or sinus drainage, seeing a primary care provider might be the solution. In the case of reflux disease, an antacid treatment, whether short or long term, may provide relief from bad breath.
Sinus issues may be allergy related or stem from other causes.
If you are suffering from bad breath, the best thing to do is to see your dentist. Your dentist will be able to properly diagnose the cause of your bad breath or refer you to a professional that can.
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