A fresh breath. That's what everyone wants. But is your breath also fresh? Most people with bad breath, also called halitosis, do not notice it themselves. They don't smell it themselves. But the environment does. Some people with bad breath suffer so much that they are hindered in their social and intimate contacts. There is a simple and reliable way to find out if you have bad breath. Ask your partner, another trusted person, your dentist or dental hygienist.

A good or bad taste in the mouth says nothing about bad breath. Someone can temporarily smell out of their mouth, for example by eating spicy food, drinking alcohol or smoking. But someone with halitosis always smells from his mouth. The cause has little or nothing to do with what you eat or drink. The main culprits are tooth or gum infections, the presence of bacteria and food residues in the mouth. The bacteria produce sulfur and that smells unpleasant. Diagnosing halitosis requires a diagnosis from the dentist or dental hygienist. This form of bad breath affects about one in seven people. Halitosis does not go away on its own and can be remedied in most cases.

Food, drinks and smoking

For example, anyone who has eaten garlic, onions or herbs, drunk alcohol or smoked can exhale an unpleasant smell. That smell is temporary and you can prevent or mask it.

Solution:
To avoid the unpleasant smell, you should not use the products. To temporarily mask the unpleasant odors, you can eat or drink something, for example sugar-free chewing gum or brush your teeth with a refreshing toothpaste.

Inflamed tooth or gums
Often an inflamed tooth or inflamed gums is the cause of bad breath. The inflammatory bacteria produce an unpleasant sulfur smell. If you don't properly remove the plaque on and between your teeth, you not only have a greater chance of getting cavities, but your gums also become inflamed. Dental plaque that is not removed can harden and calcify into tartar. New plaque easily adheres to tartar, which can cause your gums to become increasingly inflamed. The bacteria between your teeth can also cause a nasty sulfur smell.

Solution:
With a root canal treatment, the dentist can remedy the inflammation in the tooth. You can prevent inflamed gums if you brush your teeth twice a day for two minutes with fluoride toothpaste. In addition, clean the spaces between your teeth once a day with brushes, dental floss or toothpicks. Ask your dentist or dental hygienist for proper brushing instructions. It may also be that extensive dental cleaning is required by the dentist or dental hygienist.

Bacteria on the back of the tongue
Bacteria and food residues (tongue coating) are present on the back part of the tongue. The bacteria produce sulfur and that smells unpleasant. It is easier for food residues to remain on rough tongues than on smooth tongues. Someone with a rough tongue is more likely to have tongue coating and therefore halitosis. Older people have more tongue coating than young people.

Solution:
Clean your tongue daily with a tongue cleaner. Scrape the tongue coating off your tongue in about five strokes. Scrape across the entire width of the tongue, so in the middle and on the left and right sides of the tongue. The further back you get on your tongue, the more you can remove. Clean your tongue twice a day, preferably in the morning and evening. Research shows that cleaning the tongue with a tongue cleaner is more effective than with a toothbrush. Does tongue cleaning produce insufficient results? Then additional care is required. Sometimes, in addition to tongue cleaning, you have to fight the bacteria that cause your bad breath with a mouthwash, gargle and/or mouth spray. Tongue cleaners, mouth rinses, gargles, and mouth sprays are available without a prescription.

How do you use a tongue cleaner or scraper?

• Stick your tongue out of your mouth as far as possible.
• Place the tongue cleaner as far back as possible on your tongue. Apply force to the scraper and flatten your tongue. Make sure that the tongue cleaner makes good contact with your tongue. At first, you will gag at this point. If you do it more often, you will learn to position the cleaner in a way that minimizes a gag reaction.
• Slowly pull the tongue cleaner forward into your mouth.
• Clean the cleaner under running water.
• Repeat the procedure about five times.
• Rinse your mouth well with water.
• Clean and dry the tongue cleaner and store it until next use.

Dry mouth
Bad breath is common in people with dry mouth. Mouth dryness can be caused by insufficient saliva production or by breathing through the mouth. Certain medications have a dry mouth as a side effect.

Solution:
Go to your dentist or dental hygienist with your dry mouth complaints. Your practitioner will give you tailor-made advice to limit your complaints as much as possible. If you have a dry mouth, it is advisable to drink water regularly.

Sometimes chemical processes in the blood cause the air from the lungs to smell unpleasant. Someone then smells from both the nose and the mouth. Bad breath can also occur with perfect oral hygiene. An inflammation in the throat or nasal cavity may be the cause. An assessment by an otolaryngologist is then necessary. Many people think that a bad smell comes from the stomach. But this is almost never the case.

Solution:
See your dentist or dental hygienist for advice. He can determine your breath odor and determine whether a referral to a general practitioner or specialist is necessary.

You cannot get rid of halitosis with fresh sweets, chewing gum or sprays. These only leave a nice mint flavor. Because of the taste you have the feeling that your breath is fresh, but that feeling is deceiving. The freshening of your mouth can only partially cover up your bad breath and usually only for a few minutes. It also doesn't help to brush more often and harder. Mouthwashes that are not expressly designed to combat bad breath will not help either.

Proper care of your teeth, gums and tongue is important to prevent or combat bad breath.

• Brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste.
• Also clean the spaces between your teeth once a day with dental floss, toothpicks or interdental brushes.
• Use a tongue scraper twice a day if you have a lot of tongue coating, possibly together with a mouthwash, gargle or mouth spray.
• Also visit your dentist or dental hygienist regularly for a check-up. If necessary, he will thoroughly clean your teeth or treat an inflamed tooth.
• Stop smoking.