The Bad Breath Blog

Your mother probably always told you to eat your vegetables, and you should listen to this solid advice on June 17 for National Eat Your Vegetables Day. Produce should be included in your daily diet for a variety of reasons, including the health and wellbeing of your mouth! Did you know that eating a proper amount of fruits and vegetables will beat your bad breath, get rid of dry mouth and help you keep dental plaque at bay? These are some powerful little foods, so eat up June 17, and take advantage of this nationwide event.

“Adequate nutrition is important in disease prevention, and nutritional counseling is becoming an increasingly important tactic in preventive dentistry,” Ken Sutherland, senior dental consultant at Delta Dental, said. “The quality and consistency of foods, their nutritional composition and the combinations in which they are eaten can affect oral health, including the likelihood of tooth decay.”

Here are just a few of the best vegetables you can consume to keep your teeth and mouth in tip-top shape:

Root vegetables
Chomping on carrots and celery isn’t just for rabbits – but it could be why Bugs Bunny had those perfect pearly whites. Fibrous vegetables like these are great for oral care because they promote strong gums and healthy teeth. These vegetables contain beta carotene, which aids in the production of vitamin A to maintain normal function of the heart, lungs and kidneys. But they directly influence the health of your teeth as well. For instance, carrots and celery are both very crunchy, so when you eat them, it scrubs away dental plaque on the teeth. Just try it: After munching on a few pieces, you’ll notice your teeth feeling extra clean. Root vegetables are also a natural bad breath cure because they contain a high concentration of water to rinse away leftover food particles while moistening the mouth.

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Parents strive to teach their children good habits at a young age with the hope that they will continue a healthy lifestyle into adulthood. But once kids hit their teenage years, rebellion takes over and those productive manners may go out the window. Keeping up with good oral health habits as an adolescent can ensure that the gums, teeth and mouth are in top condition for a lifetime. Here are a few things to consider in order to maintain those pearly whites and fresh breath:

Gum

For many teenagers, chewing gum is routine. From the classroom to going out with friends, teenagers have a strange tendency to always be chomping down. While some gum can actually improve breath and help avoid dry mouth, typical packs from the super market are loaded with sugar. Instead of picking up a stick of gum with a layer of “fruit,” try sugarless gum made with the natural sweetener xylitol after meals. Consider having this all-natural gum around the house so your teenager won’t be tempted to pick up a sugar-loaded pack.

Piercings

Body piercings have become much more acceptable in modern society, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t consequences that come along with them. Tongue and lip piercings can cause teeth to chip and gums to recede. In addition, these piercings can be prone to infection, which causes bad breath and creates other issues throughout the entire mouth. Encourage children to avoid this type of body art.

Soda/sports drinks

Teenagers can sometimes down soda like it is water! There are countless harmful side effects to drinking these carbonated beverages, and they can wreak havoc on the entire mouth. Not only is one can filled with 38 grams of sugar or more, its sticky, syrupy texture lingers on the teeth, gums and tongue for much too long. Drinking just one bottle of soda pop a day can increase the amount of anaerobic bacteria in the mouth, cause bad breath, promote tooth decay and dry out the mouth. Unfortunately, sports drinks are not much better. Kids who play sports in school tend to carry along one of these beverages after or during a meet or game, but they are often loaded with a similar amount of sugar as soda. Instead, encourage teenagers to drink plenty of water, or even coconut water. Coconut water is all-natural and rehydrates better than typical sports drinks.

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Do you ever notice people shying away from you while you’re having a conversation? Could it be that you’re suffering from bad breath? You might hope that a close friend or family member will give you a heads up if your mouth is less-than-fresh, but some people have difficulty being the bearer of bad news. Here are a few ways to make sure you’re on top of your smelly breath:

Subtle cues
Do people often offer you a stick of gum or mint? This could be a signal that your bad breath is affecting social situations. It may be hard to come to terms with the situation, but don’t worry, you’re not alone: Many people experience halitosis from time to time. Think of it this way, the sooner you know about your halitosis symptoms, the quicker you’ll be able to find a long-term solution!

If you think you may have bad breath, pay attention to the way people react when you are speaking to them. Do they turn away or refrain from looking you in the eye? If you notice these non-verbal cues regularly, dig up the confidence to ask someone if this is happening for a reason. While some people naturally have more passive body language, others may be reacting to your bad breath. And remember, there is a chance that someone is going to tell you that you do have bad breath, so just prepare for the answer.

Ida Alvarez, a 31-year-old from, from Los Angeles, always had an inkling she was stinking up the room with her bad breath, but never had a friend give her the heads up. Patricia Napier-Fitzpatrick, founder of The Etiquette School of New York told CNN that while the issue is delicate, it’s better to bring it up to someone than talk behind his or her back about the situation.

“My mom was the one who finally told me my breath smelled bad. She couldn’t hold back,” Alvarez told CNN. “It embarrassed me at first, but I’m happy she said something, because now I watch what I eat, drink more water and use products to get rid of it.”

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If you are a smoker, you probably know the effects that tobacco can have on your oral health, but the addictive properties make kicking the habit much easier said than done. May 31 was World No Tobacco Day, so why not take a day off from smoking to prove to yourself that you can go 24 hours without a cigarette and improve your bad breath from the habit? Long-time smokers can suffer from a number of ailments in the mouth, including gum disease and tooth decay. The chemicals and tar in cigarettes wreak havoc on the oral cavity, and it can lead to the development of oral cancers and precancers.

Research shows that smoking can have various negative effects on the mouth. Smoking can reduce the amount of blood that flows to the gums, so nutrients like vitamin C cannot reach these areas to help with healing any gum or oral health issues. Once the gums become separated from the teeth, bacteria can get caught in these deep pockets. This can lead to gum disease and tooth decay over time.

If you notice that your gums are separating or they are sensitive, swollen and bleed easily, you can benefit from taking oral probiotics to balance out the additional bacteria. Probiotics’ “good” bacteria have been receiving praise for their ability to get rid of their harmful counterparts. Oral probiotics can reduce the amount of bacteria that get trapped between the gums, improve your breath and more. Although the best way to avoid these symptoms is to quit smoking, taking daily probiotics can help you while you are trying to kick the habit.

Smoker’s breath
Smoking cigarettes is harmful in many ways, and while it’s certainly bad for your health, having smoker’s breath can put a damper on social situations. People who smoke cigarettes for an extended period of time often have bad breath, even if they haven’t smoked a cigarette in hours. Since smoking can cause dry mouth, you won’t have an appropriate amount of saliva to wash away the tobacco-y smell that lingers behind. Here are a few ways to get rid of smoker’s breath:

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Have you ever heard of Triclosan? Chances are you haven’t (unless you read this blog regularly), but it is probably in a number of items currently in your home. Developed more than 40 years ago, this ingredient that is used to kill germs and is found in 75 percent of antibacterial soaps is ineffective and potentially harmful. As one of the most researched ingredients commonly used in household products, Triclosan is going to be under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration this year. Because of this harmful substance’s germ-fighting powers, it is also in some toothpaste as an ingredient to combat gingivitis.

Advocates and lawmakers have put pressure on the FDA to test the safety of this ingredient, as previous studies have proved that Triclosan in animals has caused negative health effects. Allison Aiello, professor at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health noted that current knowledge of the chemical shows that the risks outweigh the benefits. Triclosan and other ingredients commonly found in household products have not been formally approved by U.S. health regulators because they were developed before modern-day laws required scientific review of ingredients.

One of the most daunting products that feature Triclosan as an ingredient is toothpaste. You can still find toothpaste for bad breath and gingivitis without resorting to one with harmful chemicals. Exposure to Triclosan can cause damage to the endocrine system, birth defects and a weakened immune system. However, some companies will disguise this ingredient on the label, so be aware of products containing the following: Additive B, Biofresh, Cloxifenolum, Irgasan (DP 300 or PG 60), Lexol-300, Microban or Ster-Zac.

You may want to consider good toothpaste that contains all-natural ingredients, no added dyes or artificial flavorings.

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