DR. DIKSHA TAHILRAMANI BATRA
Is bad breath ruining your love life? Of all the things that can ruin your chances with a person -be it at work, romancing or even talking to your best friend -bad breath can be the worst. We see (smell) people suffering with bad breath almost everyday and it takes a huge hit on their self confidence. A massive source of embarrassment we have all experienced bad breath at some point and while some of us know how to deal with it a large multitude are clueless. So here’s your simple guide to never have to worry about bad breath or “halitosis” as it is scientifically called.
1. IT’S ALL IN THE FOOD
We have often heard foods like onions, garlic and excessively seasoned preparations can make your breath smell,this is absolutely true and easy to experience with our Indian diets. While we can’t avoid what we love to eat a simple and easy solution is to rinse and use a mild mouthwash after a meal like that.
2. HYDRATE
One of the reasons why breath can be unpleasant is if we don’t drink any liquids for a prolonged period of time. This causes the mouth and throat to dry up leading to a peculiar dry mouth smell typical of dehydration. Easiest solution to adopt is have frequent sips of water or keep event phone reminders for hydrating. The benefits of drinking enough water are innumerable besides fresh breath.
3. ADOPT THE TONGUE CLEANING HABIT
All of us may have seen and heard of tongue cleaning right from school but somewhere in our busy schedules this has dropped away from our routine oral hygiene habits. A large majority of food deposits liquids and foul smelling substances accumulate on the small projections of our tongue and over the days cause a smell that doesn’t leave you no matter what you do. If using those cumbersome metal tongue cleaners doesn’t suit your style you can use your brush itself provided it has soft or extra soft bristles, some brushes come with a rubber tongue cleaner at the back of the head which also works well.
4. DENTAL CLEANUP
When you’ve tried everything else and somehow your bad breath still persists you’re at your wits end then don’t trouble yourself go visit a dentist. A simple dental clean up removes deposits in between teeth and helps clean out areas that you may not reach with manual techniques. The dental visit will also take care of any cavities or gum disease that may be contributing to your issue.
5. SYSTEM CHECK
At times the oral cavity is the wrong place to be checking as some of us maybe very diligent about our oral care but the bad breath maybe a result of a systemic or bodily disease – for example gastric disturbances tend to give you several oral effects from acidity to bad breath. If your body is unable to metabolise certain food stuffs it can give out objectionable odours unrelated to your mouth. If all else fails getting a gastric or general body check up may work as well.
OUR OPINION ON SUGAR FREE GUMS, STRIPS AND SPRAYS
Almost all of us use these at some point to mask our bad breath, while these products have their space in the market it is important to ensure that we are using them to enhance our breath or feel a good taste rather than to hide a problem that we are not willing to deal with. We do recommend the use of sugar free gum to stimulate saliva production and as a good exercise for the jaws, strips have their role in keeping your taste and breath fresh after a meal you would have rather avoided and sprays give you an instant and handy result when in meetings or at work. Occasional use is validated but excessive dependency on these products is unnecessary if you have dealt with the steps above.
