Look after your gums
Gum disease is a leading cause of bad breath.
Bacteria can quickly gather at the base of the teeth, and it can accumulate exponentially.
Therefore, regular brushing – ideally two to three times a day with a soft brush – will help you stay on top of your gums and their health.
But you’ll also need to take note of the following five tips to ensure your gums stay healthy.
Floss, floss, floss
Flossing is absolutely vital to oral health overall, and particularly at keeping bad breath at bay.
Use regular floss if you have it, but Superfloss is even better at picking up all that gooey matter that would otherwise convert into bacteria, and eventually, unsavoury breath.
Ensure you floss at least once a day. And as with brushing, do it gently. Being rough can damage your gums and lead to tooth decay.
Wash your mouth out
A swill of antibacterial mouthwash should be a permanent fixture in your oral routine.
Mouthwashes help eliminate the bacteria that leads to bad breath, so make a habit of rinsing your mouth out for 30 seconds after you’ve brushed and flossed.
Scrape your tongue
Stick your tongue out in front of the mirror and you may often notice a grimey coating on top.
That’s home to a whole city of thriving bacteria, just waiting to furnish your exhalations with an unpleasant scent unless it’s evicted.
A few soft brushes with your toothbrush can do the trick.
However, a tongue scraper will do a better job of removing bacteria, food debris and dead cells than a toothbrush alone.
Avoid certain foods
We all know about garlic breath, and sadly, there’s little you can do about it but avoid culprit foodstuffs like onions and garlic if you want to keep your breath nice and fresh.
Brushing your teeth will only mask the problem, not eliminate it – the scent that garlic causes actually makes its way into your lungs via your bloodstream, and therefore requires nature to take its course to flush it out.
Choose a sugar-less gum
Bacteria in the mouth thrives on sugar, so make sure your chewing gum is sugar-free before allowing it to touch every micro-millimetre of your mouth cavity.
Furthermore, the action of chewing is another weapon against bad breath. It produces saliva, which is the mouth’s natural protection against the plaque acids that cause tooth decay and bad breath.
