subject: The 5-step Plan To Fresher Breath This Season [print this page] You never want to hear it, but it is worse not to know that you have bad breath. Also known as halitosis, bad breath can be embarrassing and tough on those around you. Some people don't realize their breath could peel pain because people are afraid to tell them. Bad breath affects how you feel about yourself, not to mention how others perceive you. In fact, you may not even know you have halitosis until someone else tells you. Whether it is waking up first thing in the morning with bad breath, after eating certain foods, or just most of the time, you may have experienced bad breath.
Step 1: Learn How to Brush and Floss Properly
Brushing and flossing regularly is essential to the maintenance of your oral health, and your breath. If you do not use the proper technique, you are wasting your time. Quickly running a toothbrush over your teeth three times a day, and flossing quickly once a day without properly cleaning under the gums, germs will continue to cause bad breath, and even worse, gum disease. Ask your dentist in Wauwatosa how to brush and floss properly so that you can maintain the health of your smile and fresher breath.
When flossing, hold a small part of the floss between your fingers. Wrap the floss around each side of the tooth and gently extend it under your gums. Slow up and down movements will clean these areas that a toothbrush cannot normally reach. Be sure to use a clean piece of floss for each tooth.
If you can't brush after every meal, rinse with water or chew xylitol chewing gum. Also, be sure to brush your gums as well as every side of your teeth. Brushing and flossing at nighttime is also crucial, as saliva flow slows down as you sleep, which means your mouth is more prone to attack by bacteria. So, make sure you brush twice a day and floss daily in order to keep a sparkling, healthy smile without bad breath.
Step 2: Kick the Tobacco Habit
It is not a secret that smoking cigarettes, chewing tobacco or use of any other form of tobacco, can cause bad breath. Beside the potential hazards of cancer, smoking does increase the risk of oral infections and disease. Additionally, tobacco dries to the mouth and makes the oral environment perfect for germs to thrive. So if you want fresher breath, take the next step toward a healthy mouth by quitting your tobacco habit.
Step 3: Watch What You Eat
Keeping your mouth hydrated means you should drink adequate amounts of water. Saliva helps to neutralize harmful acids in your mouth, because dry mouth minimizes your protection, which allows acid to cause damage through harmful bacteria. We all know about onions and garlic, but there are other less obvious foods that cause bad breath. Certain types of food tend to ferment and cause bad breath, which include red meat, high simple carbohydrate foods or sticky types of snacks. All of these tend to hang around long after you are finished eating and allow harmful bacteria to multiply. Coffee is also a culprit for causing bad breath.
Step 4: Don't Rely on Gum, Mouthwash or Mints
If you have just eaten a meal with garlic or onions and can't brush, then it is ok to use a breath mint or chew gum to mask the odor. However, you should not make this a habit if you have constant bad breath. The cause of bad breath can be gum disease, which may increase the risk of stroke and heart disease. Masking it is not a good idea, but visiting your dentist will help to determine the cause of your bad breath and to get the right treatment.
Step 5: Get Regular Dental Checkups
Maintaining regular checkups to your dentist in Wauwatosa, WI are essential to maintaining a healthy, fresh mouth. In the long run, visiting your dentist at least twice a year will save you money and the need for extensive treatments. Even if you don't think you have any cavities, it is important to visit your dentist to get your mouth evaluated because, sometimes, there are underlying problems you may be unaware of. Bad breath is typically common if you have tooth decay under a filling, crown or any stage of gum disease. It is easier to treat these conditions early on rather than waiting.
Visit your Wauwatosa dentist today for further examination and treatment in maintaining a healthy smile this year.
