It’s one of those things that gets overlooked, but once you experience the offensive odor when talking to another, it sneakily makes its way to the front of social etiquette concerns to address immediately. Not only is keeping bad breath at bay a matter of common courtesy, but it serves you in the long run in maintaining healthy dental hygiene!
I struggled with knowing whether I had bad breath when I was a kid and I have to say the only times I was clued into it was when I was told upfront or when I could see the physical reaction of someone leaning away and scrunching their nose in repulsion. The other times were less subtle with the offended person not so subtly telling their friend sitting beside me that I had bad breath (kids are something else!)
So without a trusted person around that you can ask, how can you tell? For starters, there’s the saliva + skin check where you lick the skin on your wrist, wait for the saliva to dry and then give it a sniff. If there’s a smell, well you’ve got some work to do! The alternative way is to trust your taste buds. After all, they are closely intertwined to your sense of smell. If you can sense that your mouth tastes bad, then it is likely that the smell of your mouth is also unpleasant.
Now, how do you treat it? Treat the cause of course! Figuring out the cause can be tricky. It comes down to a variety of culprits like diet, tonsil stones, dehydration, and the bacteria that live in your mouth.
Diet
If your diet is frequently comprised of strong-smelling food like garlic or kimchi, it is worth rinsing your mouth out well with water after you eat or to chase the food with palette-cleansing foods like fruits and vegetables.
Tonsil Stones
These stones make their home within your tonsils (located at the back of your mouth) and are really a build up of bacteria, food debris, and other minerals. They are small and either white or pale yellow in color. It helps to do a revamp of your dental hygiene to include an alcohol-free mouthwash and to floss properly every day. Gargling saltwater at the back of your throat also can help to dislodge the stones and prevent the growth of new ones.
Dehydration
If your mouth feels dry and papery right now, you’re parched! Drinking water is not only good for you in keeping all your bodily functions operating normally, but it is also good for keeping your mouth hydrated and happy. Without the occasional act of water rinsing out the mouth, bacteria in your mouth go to town munching away on any debris left there, producing tooth-enamel-wearing acid. This acid wears down teeth enamel and over time cavities develop.
Another alternative is to chew sugar-free gum particularly gum containing xylitol for at least 20 minutes. This is recommended by dentists to reduce the development of cavities through the use of xylitol a sugar alcohol that inhibits the growth of cavity-causing bacteria.
Misaligned Teeth
Over the course of your life, your teeth are constantly shifting positions. As a result, you may think that your twice-a-day tooth brushing is getting into every nook and cranny, but a tooth out of ideal alignment can result in surfaces getting left out day after day. Plaque and tartar builds up and resident bacteria now have a safe zone to grow and multiply.
Take stock of the placements of your teeth and make sure you cover brushing every possible surface area! While brushing, if you notice that a particular area is registering a foul taste or odor, pay particular attention to that problem spot. It very well may be the cause of your mouth odor!
What dental hygiene habits have you picked up to resolve bad breath? Leave a comment below!
Life Fright 
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