Bad Breath is one of the most embarrassing conditions that a person can have that is fairly easy to get rid of. The problem is that often we don’t know we have it and we end up blowing death breath toward anyone within breathing distance. Sometimes we are pretty sure we’ve got bad breath and can’t get a quick fix. I know that in a couple cases I thought my breath smelled and searched everywhere for breath mints or gum. When I didn’t find any, I found myself talking sideways. You know – not talking directly toward the person you are conversing with or you find a reason to have your hand cupped around your mouth. Do you think this could hinder a presentation, be a strikeout before even getting to first base, or put a quick stop to casual conversation? You bet it does. How do you think I felt later? Yep, that’s right. Not so hot.
Many times low self esteem and bad breath become buddies. It’s as simple as this: no one wants to be around anyone who smells. Now I believe there is a difference between onion or garlic bad breath and chronic bad breath. You can blame your onion or garlic breath on a good meal. Now that is easy, but chronic bad breath, oh my, we have to blame that one on ourselves.
First just realize everyone has bad breath but with good oral hygiene we are able get rid of bad breath or at least to control it. If you smoke, drink alcohol, don’t drink enough water, don’t brush and floss your teeth at least once a day then you may have a breath problem and need to step up your oral hygiene. The idea each of these things is that they decrease the anaerobic bacteria in your mouth. These bacteria love any areas that are oxygen deficient and chow down on bits of food stuff left in your mouth. They love to hang out on your tongue and on the plaque on your teeth. Bacteria and dry mouth are like a kid in a candy store. Alcohol and smoke dry the mouth out, and the bacteria multiply much faster in a dry mouth. This is why sometimes when you use an alcohol based mouthwash you’ll find that your short term treatment for bad breath ends up creating worse bad breath in the long run.
Question For You: Kids will tell you right up front if your breath is bad. Adults often chose to take the “I don’t want to embarrass you” approach and won’t say anything. What approach do you take with someone with stinky breath? Confront them, offer mints, or just cut the conversation short and run the other way?
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I admit that I am not comfortable with telling someone they have bad breath. I would be like you and ‘talk sideways’ if I thought I had it, but there are definitely people who still blow that bad breath at you! I think if there was a tactful way to tell someone, especially if you can offer a way to help, that would be good. I agree that oral hygiene must be good and must be consistent; and I think in most cases that daily brushing and flossing is adequate.
Great post and picture! Very nice. Bad breath is such a turn off. And, sadly, it is fairly common. I agree with Vicki that for most people consistent brushing and flossing should be adequate. There are those who do need more assistance. And for those folks awareness has to be the first step. The second step might be some of the remedies that are available through this blog… Thanks!
Hi five folks – I’m thinking a lot of bad breath problems can be caused by poor diets and bad breath could start from the persons stomach in most cases – I have a simple healthy option that works for me in my health related discomforts and seems to help me stay tuned to better health in a lot of areas including my general wellbeing – its that old saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” – yes as simple as that – I eat most days two apples – one first thing in the morning when I take my dog out for her early morning half hour walk – and then later on in the day about an hour after my main evening meal – I find this keeps my digestion in tip top condition my teeth and gums in perfect order trouble is it sounds to easy so most folks simply shrug this advice off and they just carry on being unwell and keep taking the tablets – lol
All my best to you and your wellbeing
Phillip Skinner
Your comments about halitosis and anaerobic bacteria are right on!
i sufferered for a long time not knowing what a problem it was. but now with good care it makes all the difference. people dont step back any more,
This is an interesting concept, challenging us to think how we deal with other people’s bad breath as well as own. I know at home with family we are a very straight forward bunch and have no issues telling each other that our breath smells, go brush your teeth – dipolmatic as a train smash we are!
As for other people…yes I tend to opt for the not saying anything approach and hope that next time we talk the problem is better. As for myself, I’m very aware of my breath and always take care to ensure that I don’t have a breath problem when talking with people. If I have over indulged in garlic and the likes the night before, often it’s not just your breath that smells, our bodies emitt a garlicy smell as well.
Here’s to good breath and lots of friends!
After working in the customer service industry for years, you’ll now never find me without some sort of breath mint or gum. Any profession which requires you to talk all day always leaves my mouth dry, and probably the perfect breeding ground for bacteria.
As mentioned, alcohol based mouthwash or even those ‘strips’ are only a quick fix. Drinking lots of water and being prepared with some sugar-free, alcohol-free mints for those long hours with no break is the only way to go.
It’s bad enough telling somebody they have bad breath, how much more if you personally have it? We must be aware if we have bad breath, to save both yourself and the person you’re talking to from further embarrassment. If people would just have good oral hygiene, refrain from drinking and smoking, and have regular visits to the dentist, then I think nobody would have this problem.
This is a good article on how bad breath starts. I wish they told me more about curing bad breath. But, I guess staying away from alcohol based mouth washed and having dry mouth would be a cure in itself. I would have liked to know which brand of breath fresheners were the best or if we should carry some parsley or mint to chew on during the day or which brand of gum is the best. But, the information here is a great start: Stay away from alcoholic mouthwashes and having a dry mouth because it breeds bacteria that causes bad breath. Thank you for the info!
Yes, bad breath is something many people can suffer from, even if they brush their teeth three times a day. It can sometimes stems from stomach problems and bad thyroids, so individuals can?t always help their bad breath. It can also be due to a basic lack of moisture in your mouth. You must drink plenty of water to replenish dry tissues of the mouth and flush any food particles stuck in between your teeth. Bad breath is a social embarrassment, and is also a sign of having poor hygiene or health problems. We must all be aware of the condition our body is in.