Fresh Breath Tips
Top Ten Fresh Breath Tips from Nedlands Dentist
1 Clean your tongue gently with a tongue cleaner. Floss your teeth
2 Have your teeth cleaned periodically by a dental professional. Make sure your gums don’t bleed easily and there is no gingivitis or periodontal gum disease.
3 Brush and floss your teeth as recommended by your dentist. You may use inter-proximal brushes like the Piksters available in Australia. Practice complete oral health and brush behind the back teeth in each row.
4 Eat fibrous vegetables, such as carrots and celery. This helps to keep the tongue clean.
5 Clean your mouth after eating and drinking proteins, such as milk products, fish and meat. The bacterial coating breaks down protein to produce sulfur (VSCs: Volatile Sulfur Compounds). Chewing sugar free gum helps.
6 Drink plenty of liquids, especially water, but be aware that drinking too much coffee may make the situation worse.
7 Get control over the problem. Ask a family member to tell you whenever you have bad breath.
8 Clean your dentures very well (if you wear them) with a denture brush and soak overnight in a antiseptic solution as recommended by your dental professional.
9 If you have a dry mouth your tongue coating will be worse. Post-nasal drip due to allergies or illness will make your breath worse, as continuous protein mucous is broken down by tongue coating and gives off sulfur. Discuss your medications with your doctor as they may cause dry mouth.
10 If odour comes from your nose and not from your mouth, see a doctor immediately as it may be caused by medical problems. Bad breath that is commonly known as halitosis does not come from the stomach or lungs and cleaning the tongue will help in most cases.
