Dr. Katz discusses how to get rid of bad breath and how to test for it on Baltimore News.

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 How do I tell my boyfriend, girlfriend, friend, coworker, family member, etc, that he or she has bad breath? Here’s a good way how… tell them anonymously that they have bad breath by clicking here!

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How can I test my own breath?

Good question. It is impossible to smell your own breath by cupping your hand up to your nose and smelling.  All you do is smell your hand.

Your body is designed in such a manner, that you cannot detect your own odor this way. It’s a human process called acclimation, which is necessary so that we are able to smell other things besides ourselves.

There are 2 ways to check if your breath is offensive:

1. At the California Breath Clinics, through the use of the Halimeter, which measures the concentration of sulfides in your breath.

2. A few quick home tests, which will give you a good indication if your breath offends – and costs you nothing (not as accurate as 1 and 2 above). Here they are:

Here are a few good ways to test your own breath at home:

1. Wipe the top surface of your tongue with a piece of cotton gauze and smell that. (That’s probably the most honest way.) Furthermore, if you notice a yellowish stain on the cotton, it’s likely that you have an elevated sulfide production level.

2. Lick the back of your hand. Let that dry for about 10 seconds and then smell. If you notice an odor, you have a breath disorder because the sulfur salts from your tongue have been transferred to your hand.

3. Run a piece of dental floss between your back teeth (especially where you may get food caught) and then smell the floss. This may be an indication of the level of odors others may detect.

4. Stand in front of the mirror and stick your tongue out as far as possible. If you notice that the very back of your tongue is whitish, it may be a sign that you have bad breath. Also, you can judge the reaction from others. Our patients tell us that they are no longer offered gum and mints and people no longer step away from them. It has significantly changed their confidence and improved their lives.

5. Ask the opinion of someone you can trust. Ask them to check your breath several times daily because breath changes throughout the day.

6. If certain foods alter your taste, it is a good sign that sulfur compounds are being produced. This usually happens after using alcohol-based mouthwashes, eating dairy foods, drinking alcoholic beverages, or after eating sugary products (Altoids, candy, Pepsi, etc.)

If any of the tests above prove positive (you notice an offensive odor or taste, you may want to answer our clinical questionnaire, which will further assist you in your search for fresh breath and taste).

7. Of course, as I mentioned before, there are more accurate methods, the most accurate being the Halimeter. This is an instrument which measures the concentration of Sulfide molecules in one’s breath and/or saliva. The border line number for fresh breath vs. bad breath is about 75 ppb (parts per billion) according to Dr. Yaegaki who published the definitive article on these values. In our clinics, we have used these guidelines on thousands of patients. We have also demonstrated the use of this sensitive instrument on TV stations across the US, Europe, and Asia.

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More about the bad breath phone from MSNBC.com.

Updated: 6:11 a.m. PT Oct 3, 2007

TOKYO – Worried that you’re not getting enough exercise or that you’ve eaten way too much garlic? A Japanese firm has come up with a phone that can help.

Japan’s largest cell phone carrier NTT DoCoMo unveiled this week a “Fitness Phone,” designed to help the user stay healthy — and avoid bad breath.

The handheld phone, equipped with various devices that can measure your pulse or the amount of steps you’ve taken in a day, dispenses heath advice after you’ve punched in statistics such as gender, age and weight.

TechWatch: Phat fat phone

And you can also exhale into the phone and it will tell you whether its time to reach for the breath mints.

“Our primary target groups would be fat-fighting middle-aged businessmen and young women on diets,” said Kentaro Endo, a spokesman for NTT DoCoMo.

A recent government survey found that on average, Japanese men in their 40s were fatter than they were 12 years ago, mainly due to lack of exercise, while women in the same age group were slimmer because they were more health conscious.

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What is the first thing that you would do if a cop pulls you over and performs a breath test? If you’ve been drinking slightly, the first thought in your head would be to gargle with some mouthwash to mask the alcohol in your breath. Don’t.A common cause of false readings is alcohol-based mouthwash. The Alcohol in mouthwash can actually increase your blood alcohol content (BAC). Listerine mouthwash, for example, is 27% alcohol.

“Incidentally, Listerine mouthwash can cause a false breath-alcohol test result of 0.43% BAC, which is near the level of coma. These effects last as long as 30 minutes to an hour.” (The Prohibition Times, JUNK SCIENCE: GOVERNMENT TESTS FOR DRUNKDRIVING by John Lee)

Research in Wikipedia also confirms this:

“Mouth alcohol can also be created in other ways. Dentures, for example, will trap alcohol. Periodontal disease can also create pockets in the gums which will contain the alcohol for longer periods. And recent use of mouthwash or breath fresheners—possibly to disguise the smell of alcohol when being pulled over by police—contain fairly high levels of alcohol.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breathalyzer)

Of course, the best way to avoid flunking a breath test is to avoid alcohol entirely. But if you decide to drink moderately enough to be able to drive, and anticipate a breath test, it is a good idea to use non-alcoholic mouthwash. So the next time you go out on a date, you’ll be prepared for literally anything – a kiss, a slow dance, or even a breath test.

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