Bad Breath

For any individual, the exact status of their own breath can be difficult to ascertain. The reason for this lies in the fact that the oral cavity is connected to our nose by way of an opening which lies in the back of our mouth (in the region of our soft palate). Since noses tend to filter out and ignore background odors, it filters out and ignores the quality of our own breath. This means that it is quite possible for a person to have bad breath, yet not be aware of it.





How can a person can test the quality of their own breath?

There are ways you can objectively smell your own breath. However, you have to take a slightly indirect route.

Try this technique. Lick your wrist, wait about five seconds while the saliva dries somewhat, and then smell it. What do you think?

That's the way you smell. Or, more precisely, that's the way the end of your tongue smells (your tongue's "anterior" portion).



Simple tips that can help to minimize your potential for having halitosis.

1) Drink plenty of water.

Drinking plenty of water throughout the day can help to minimize a person's problems with bad breath (halitosis) This can be an especially important consideration for those people who suffer from xerostomia (chronically dry mouths).

If you allow yourself to become dehydrated, your body will attempt to conserve moisture by reducing its production of saliva. Saliva has a cleansing and diluting effect on the bacteria and bacterial waste products that cause bad breath. A reduction in the amount of saliva in your mouth will make it more likely that you will experience breath problems.

2) Rinse your mouth with water throughout the day.

Rinsing with water can mitigate bad breath problems for brief periods of time. Rinsing will both dilute and partially remove the bacterial waste products that are the cause of breath odors.

3) Stimulate your mouth's flow of saliva.

You can help to minimize breath malodor by stimulating your body's flow of saliva. This is because saliva has a cleansing and diluting effect on the bacteria and bacterial waste products that cause bad breath.

One way to stimulate salivary flow is to chew on something. Doing so will trick your body in to thinking that it is getting a meal. In preparation for digesting this meal, your body will increase its production of saliva. You might choose to chew on cloves, fennel seeds, or a piece of mint or parsley.

Chewing gum, breath mints, or lozenges can also be used to stimulate salivary flow. If you elect to use one of these products, make sure it is sugar-free since sweets will promote the growth of bacteria that cause tooth decay.

4) Clean your mouth well, especially after eating foods that are high in protein content.

The bacterial waste products that cause of bad breath are created when oral anaerobic bacteria digest proteins. After you eat a meal or snack, especially one that is high in protein content, make sure that you clean your mouth promptly and thoroughly. Doing so will minimize both the time duration and amount of food that is available for the offending bacteria.


Source:
http://www.animated-teeth.com/