The Bad Breath Blog

If you have bad breath, it’s important to remember that the only way to truly get rid of halitosis is to have a proper oral care regimen that you follow every day. While this may sound like common sense, you may be surprised to learn that Americans received an average score of “D” on a national dental health quiz administered by the American Dental Association (ADA). People were unaware of some of the most important ways to keep teeth healthy and avoid bad breath, such as when to replace their toothbrushes and how often to go to the dentist.

“The results of the survey were quite shocking and really show how important it is for people to become more involved in their own oral health,” said William R. Calnon, D.D.S., ADA president and a practicing dentist in Rochester, New York.

October is Dental Hygiene Awareness Month, and in honor of this occasion, now is a good time to go over some dental care basics and learn why practicing proper oral care is crucial if you want to cure bad breath.

Keep that bacteria in check

First, you need to understand what causes oral hygiene problems such as tooth decay, gum disease and halitosis, and that’s bacteria. Your mouth has so much bacteria in it that if you were able to see them all, it could take all week.

According to Dentistry IQ, nobody knows for sure how much bacteria there is in the mouth, but they do know that it multiplies fast. In a perfect environment, such as a Petri dish, some species of oral bacteria can double their numbers every 20 minutes.

Bacteria also eat and produce waste like most other living organisms, wreaking havoc on your gums and dental enamel and causing some nasty bad breath. This is why you need to brush, floss and use alcohol-free mouthwash and oral care probiotics. These products are designed to help keep bacteria in check and introduce healthy bacteria in the mouth to counteract the bad.

Steps to follow

So what should you do to fight bacteria and keep your mouth healthy? Well, the steps are simple but, you have to do them every day. You can’t brush a few days a week and think you’re doing the trick, since bacteria in the mouth are constantly growing. This is why you have to brush twice a day, every day, and floss at least once.

Also, you should be using alcohol-free mouthwash daily, not only to prevent bad breath, but to keep from developing dry mouth. The bacteria in your mouth can thrive when there are insufficient amounts of saliva to wash them away, which is why you should avoid alcohol-based mouthwash.

You should also avoid snacking between meals, since eating throughout the day will keep your teeth coated in sugar and leftover food particles. Many people mistakenly believe that sugar causes cavities, but in reality, it merely acts as a snack for the bacteria in your mouth. So, stick to three meals a day and consider using alcohol-free mouthwash throughout the day to wash away any remnants of these meals. Remember, you shouldn’t brush after every meal, since this may wear away tooth enamel. Twice a day is enough for a healthy mouth.

Keep all of this in mind as you celebrate Dental Hygiene Awareness Month.

If you ask someone to name the first smelly food that comes to their mind, many people would probably say “cheese.” And boy, would they be right. Many types of cheese not only emit a powerful odor, but they can also leave you with halitosis. Your mouth is teeming with bacteria, and these organisms, like humans, have to eat. Unfortunately for you, bacteria also dispose of waste, which causes your bad breath. Milk, cheese and other dairy products contain their own types of bacteria and active cultures that interact with the organisms in your mouth, causing halitosis.

However, while alcohol-free mouthwash can get rid of bad breath after consuming any type of cheese, some are certainly more pungent than others. For example, some of the worst-smelling cheeses are located in Europe. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest offenders.

Now that’s one smelly bishop
If you travel to England you can find a cheese with a name that says it all – the stinking bishop. According to Hotel Club, this cheese is made from pasteurized Gloucestershire cow’s milk and is soaked in something called stinking bishop pear juice. It is then set to mature for six to eight weeks before it truly starts to live up to its name.

People who have been in the presence of this cheese have described it as smelling like old, rotten gym socks. In fact, the powerful odor of stinking bishop was thrown into the spotlight in the 2005 animated movie “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.” In the film, Gromit uses the cheese to revive Wallace after he has fainted. Still not convinced that this snack has one of the most pungent odors? In 2009, a panel of experts named it the worst-smelling cheese in all of England, a land known for its smelly dairy products.

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Do you smell bad? It’s a rotten question, but it’s something everyone should ask themselves before they discover people have been trying to tell them about their halitosis or body odor for years. By the time you start smelling your own bad breath, chances are other people have been noticing it for a while. This is because it takes longer for you to notice the scents of your own body, since you’re so used to smelling it all the time.

If you do discover that you have halitosis, the next step is to determine what is causing it. While you may think you know everything that leads to bad breath, you’re probably wrong. There are many surprising things that can cause oral odor, and it’s important for you to determine which of them are wreaking havoc on your mouth.

Like it spicy? Use alcohol-free mouthwash

Are you a fan of spicy foods flavored with curry and other hot ingredients?  According to Prevention Magazine, if you are then you may be experiencing halitosis as a result. The worst part is the odor caused by these foods may last a long time.

“When digested, these foods produce several stinky sulfur-containing gases. Most of these byproducts are metabolized in the intestines and liver, but some, such as allyl methyl sulfide, are absorbed into the bloodstream and released through your lungs and pores, an effect that can last for a few hours or more,” said Debra Jaliman, MD, assistant professor of dermatology at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, quoted by the news source.

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Does anyone in your family have bad breath? Why not turn it into a game? That’s what the Thompson family recently did, the stars of the reality show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, which airs on TLC. The show follows a southern family and their precocious beauty queen daughter as they engage in such activities as mud wrestling and dumpster diving.

On a recent episode, the family decided to play a game revolving around halitosis, according to the Wall Street Journal. The game, called “guess whose breath” involved a family member being blindfolded, and everyone taking turns breathing into their face. In the end, everyone ended up laughing hysterically over the fact that the entire family appears to suffer from horrendous bad breath.

While having your family members smell your breath is one way to determine whether you have halitosis, there are certainly easier (and less disgusting) ways to tell if someone has oral odor.

Know your breath

The smells of our own bodies tend to blend in with all of the smells around us, which means that it’s likely that other people will notice if you have halitosis before you do. This is why it’s important to use alcohol-free mouthwashes, practice proper oral hygiene techniques and know how to test your breath so you can avoid the embarrassment of having someone tell you that your breath smells.  (more…)

So here’s the scenario: You’re out on a first date, the end of the night is approaching and the time has come for a good night kiss. Suddenly, you remember all of that garlic you had on your pasta or the onions on your pizza, and you become worried that you might have bad breath. Surveys have shown that halitosis is one of the main romantic turn-offs, and if you have strong oral odor you may find yourself without an invitation for a second date.

Luckily, there are many things that can help cure this problem before it ruins your night, such as alcohol-free mouthwash and specialty breath fresheners. Also, there is a new tool that may help you evaluate the state of your breath during your date. Now available on the market is a portable “bad breath tester” that can be carried in a purse or backpack and can inform you of an impending danger.

Rating bad breath

The small device has holes on the top that you can breathe into. A digital screen will then give you a reading of zero to four, depending on the severity of your halitosis. According to the Daily Mail, the tool costs about 20 British pounds, which equals about $32 in the U.S.

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