Good oral hygiene is essential in keeping your gums and teeth healthy. It includes brushing your teeth twice a day and visiting your dentist regularly. However, oral care is more than just preventing gum disease and cavities.
Based on research, there is a connection between the person’s overall health and oral health. Practicing good oral hygiene can help in making your teeth and gums healthier. At the same time, it can also help in preventing bad breath.
Do you know that there are millions of people all over the world who are suffering from bad health or chronic halitosis? Most often, this disease comes from the tongue and gums. So, if you want to fight bad breath and keep your mouth healthy, you should follow these tips.
How to Prevent a Bad Breath?
Bad breath is a common condition that can be very humiliating. However, there are a lot of ways to prevent it.
Brush Your Teeth Regularly
To get rid of plaque and food debris, you have to brush your teeth at least twice or thrice a day. Practice brushing your teeth before going to bed. It can help in removing plaque and food debris. Brushing with baking soda can also help reduce acidity in the mouth and prevent bacteria that can cause bad breath.
Don’t Forget To Scrape Or Brush Your Tongue
It can help eliminate any residue developed between the taste buds and folds in the tongue. For example, you could purchase an affordable tongue scraper in drugstores. Or you could use your toothbrush in brushing or scraping your tongue.
Try to Floss Daily
Sometimes, even if you have brushed your teeth, some food debris remains between your teeth. It can be removed by flossing. However, if you do not remove this food debris, the bacteria could feed on it, resulting in bad breath.
Use a Mouth Rinse
It would be ideal to use a mouth rinse after brushing. However, if dental problems are the primary cause of bad breath, then a mouth rinse cannot cure it. Instead, the mouth rinse will mask the odour.
Another alternative is to rinse with some water mixed with a few drops of peppermint oil. You could also use black or green tea to rinse your mouth. It can also help in suppressing the development of bacteria that can result in bad breath.
Stop Smoking
Smoking can lead to bad breath. It should motivate you to quit smoking. Tobacco can keep your mouth dry and create a bad smell that lingers even if you brush your teeth.
Drink Sufficient Amount of Water
Drinking at least six to eight glasses of water a day can help in avoiding dry mouth. Drinking water can help in controlling the odour because it can wash away bacteria and food particles.
If you are taking medications that can cause dry mouth, then ask your dentist for any recommendations. Perhaps they will let you buy an over-the-counter saliva substitute.
Visit Your Dentist Regularly
The best way of maintaining good oral care is to visit your dentist regularly. It is important to visit your dentist right away if you are suffering from chronic bad breath.
If your dentist thinks that internal issues cause it, then they will refer you to a specialist. An infection is an example of an internal problem. The specialist can help in treating the cause of the problem.