People who have persistent mouth odour are often shy to talk about it. If you have bad breath, don’t feel bad; rather, seek help from your dentist as a single visit could be all you need to stop the psychological trauma.
Since we know the causes (previous post), how then can one prevent Mouth Odour?
- Adopt good oral hygiene practices such as brushing the teeth and tongue at least twice daily. You could either use your toothbrush or a tongue scrapper to clean the tongue.
- Change your tooth brush every 3 months or when the bristles are flared.
- Floss regularly at least once a day. This will help remove food particles and plaque in between the teeth. Food particles such as meat, fish, chicken or turkey when stuck between the teeth gives off an unpleasant odour if left in place.
- Chewing sugarless gum to increase the flow of saliva can help a great deal as saliva acts as a cleansing agent.
- Drink water regularly.
- The use of Mouth Sprays can also be of help. They can be used to freshen breath before board meetings/meetings with clients to boost ones confidence.
Having regular dental check-up saves one unnecessary embarrassment. The following are some professional dental interventions for bad breath:
- Professional cleaning(scaling & polishing) is done to remove plaque and calculus.
- Filling of Holes/cavities.
- Treatment of gum diseases.
- Correction and arrangement of crowded teeth by an orthodontist(a specialist) to allow easy access for cleaning.
- Extraction of impacted wisdom tooth.
- Treatment of dental infections.
If the cause of your bad breath is respiratory, you will need to visit your physician.
See also: Causes of Bad breath/Mouth odour