Your Tongue & Bad Breath

While you may know that the bacteria in your mouth is the cause of 90 percent of bad breath, you may not realize the majority of smell-generating bacteria are sitting on the back of your tongue.

What's more, the majority of the over 60 million people diagnosed with oral malodorous are not aware of the single best method to improve their breath--the simple act of scraping the tongue.

Tongue cleaning has been practiced for centuries and recent literature has shown it leads to a healthy oral environment. Clinical research has created a renewed interest in tongue cleaning, since evidence has shown that infection-causing bacteria-the primary cause of bad breath-increased tenfold after a week of not cleaning the tongue.

A recent scientific study on the effectiveness of scraping the tongue found that scraping it twice daily for seven days had a significant effect on the levels of bacteria in the mouth and also decreased bad breath.

The subjects in the study added tongue scraping as a part of their normal daily oral care routine of brushing their teeth and using a mouth rinse.

"Since most people brush their teeth and use a mouth rinse, it is clear the missing link for truly clean breath is scraping your tongue," explained Kristy Menage Bernie, Registered Dental Hygienist. "Some people mistakenly believe that brushing your tongue will have the same effect as scraping but the reality is to have a clean mouth and fresh breath, you need to brush, floss, scrape and rinse, in that order, and make sure you use a well-designed tongue scraper that is safe and effective.

Prevent Bad Breath By Eliminating The Triggers

Bad breath simply comes and goes for some people. Perhaps we only wake up with bad breath in the morning or eating certain foods, like onion or pizza. These are more obvious triggers for bad breath. But the bacteria that release the volatile sulphur compounds of bad breath find a great breeding ground in tongues that are coated or lined with cracks. Mucous and phlegm also contain proteins, and these bacteria exist to break down proteins. So if you suffer from phlegmatic nasal conditions, there's a good chance there is an associated increase in bad breath.

However, despite any existing conditions like fissured tongues or excess phlegm, that are more difficult to change, there are things we can avoid to minimize bad breath occurring.

Dry Mouth
Saliva keeps bad breath at bay because it is rich in oxygen. The bacteria that lead to symptoms of bad breath are anaerobic bacteria, meaning they live in an environment that does not have oxygen. When you have a dry mouth you're creating an environment that is more similar to their 'home', one that has little oxygen. So the bacteria thrive, and so does bad breath.

This is a problem for people who sleep with their mouths open, in particular. Breathing through your mouth all night dries out your mouth so you wake up with less-than-pleasant morning breath.

Certain Foods
Certain foods that are high in protein like meat, and for those who are lactose intolerant, dairy
If you don't digest dairy products well, the bacteria have more of a chance to digest the proteins in milk and produce the volatile sulphur compounds that result in bad breath.

Not flossing
Floss after a meal, especially if you've eaten meat, the bacteria in your mouth have ample time to break down the meat proteins stuck between your teeth.

Acidic foods and drinks like coffee
Acidic foods and drinks create an environment in which bacteria will multiply faster

Alcohol
Even if it’s in a mouthwash, alcohol will dry your mouth out, and then you have all the bad breath problems associated with a dry mouth

Sugar
Sugar is food for bacteria. Enough said!! And this is why even mint flavoured sugar products won't make your breath smell any better.

Important Things About Bad Breath

- In most cases (about 90%), bad breath comes from the mouth itself.

- Despite public opinion, bad breath rarely comes from the stomach.

- Most people can smell other people’s breath, but have trouble smelling their own. So, if you think you have bad breath, you might or you might not. Bad taste is usually not a good indication. The best and simplest way to find out is to ask an adult in your family or a close friend.

- In the mouth, the most common source of bad breath is the very back of the tongue. Food debris, dead cells and postnasal drip can accumulate there, and the breakdown of the proteins by the resident bacteria causes foul odor. The second most important cause is bacteria breaking down protein between your teeth. By the way, the gases and other molecules that the bacteria produce are toxic and can harm your gum as well.

- Bad breath usually increases when the mouth is dry. Chewing sugarless gum for 4-5 minutes at a time can be helpful.

- The generalization that mouthwashes work for only a few minutes is wrong. Try gargling right before bedtime for best results. Some researchers recommend alcohol-free mouth rinses.

- Eating a hearty and healthy breakfast cleans the mouth and back of the tongue, gets the saliva flowing, and is probably good for you.

- In the large majority of cases, bad breath can be dramatically improved or eliminated.

- Children can have bad breath from postnasal drip, dental plaque and transient throat infections.

10 Tips to have a Fresh Breath

Bad breath is experienced by most people at some time. It may simply be “morning breath” but can be a persistent chronic condition which affects a person’s everyday life and confidence.
It is almost always caused initially by poor oral hygiene leading to a build up of excess bacteria in the mouth and which gives off smelly gases.

View Top 10 Tips below that will help keep your breath fresh and clean!

1. Keep your tongue clean
Gently brush it with a soft nylon toothbrush after you brush your teeth.

2. Drink More Water!
The drier your mouth, the worse your breath gets

3. Keep Calm
Stress makes your breath worse!

4. Avoid breath mints and/or gum that contain sugar
These actually make your breath worse

5. Don’t try to kill the odor of bad breath with another odor
This is what most of the ‘Big Name’ oral care companies would like you to believe works

6. Blow your nose more often
Your breath gets worse when you have a cold, allergies, or post-nasal drip

7. Don’t use mouthwash with alcohol or toothpaste that has sodium lauryl sulfate
Do you have any idea how many oral care products contain these two ingredients? Here’s a hint, just about all of them

8. Drink plenty of water when taking prescription medications
Many of these medicines make your mouth extremely dry

9. Stop Smoking
It will give you bad breath in a nanosecond, but may only take 20 years to kill you!

10. And finally, The Best Way to Eliminate & Prevent Bad Breath
Use Clinically Proven Oxygenating Oral Products.

Halitosis - A Foul Smell From Your Mouth

Halitosis also known as bad breath is one of the problems which many people face. It gives out a disgusting feeling when you encounter such a person with bad breath. The origin of the word halitosis is derived from a Latin word. Bad breath as we must have learnt in school is that, if we do not brush our teeth properly they will rot due to the bacteria.

Rotten food in your mouth just makes things worse. But this cannot be the only reason for bad breath. The lung abscess at the time of bronchitis also causes bad breath. Some of the serious illnesses give out different kinds of odor. Conclusions have been drawn for the bad odor is due to poor digestion too.

Saliva plays a very important part in keeping the odor under check. Saliva regulates the odor by washing away food particles and other unwanted junk which creates bad breath. Morning breath usually smells as the salivary glands become sluggish leading to a bad breath. This would help if you have a proper breakfast and the people who skip their breakfast please beware.

Certain foods also cause bad breath such as onions, coffee, and garlic. Too much spice also creates bad odor. Some of these smells may not leave your breath even after 72 hours of digestion. So reducing the intake of these products may help in some form and you may have a much tolerable breath.

Some of the common and basic things or rules you can follow to have a good breath are:

* Brush regularly
* Use dental floss or mouthwash, if that helps
* Go to your dentist at least twice in year to get a thorough check up
* Clean your mouth after eating or drinking milk products
* Chew sugar free gum to moisten your mouth
* Eating fresh and fibrous vegetables would also help
* Drink plenty of water or fluids (which excludes coffee, tea and other sugar added drinks)
*Avoid alcoholic drinks to prevent bad breath