Dentists say that most bad breath is an oral source (duh, about 80%, the remaining 20% being other genetic factors and symptoms such as Xerostomia or being born with the Zenker’s Diverticulum can also cause bad breath) More often than not, cavities and gum disease are the main indicators and causes of your bad breath, which can be kickstarted by the food you eat through the bits of debris that remain in your mouth when you don’t floss. If left untreated, the debris will harden into plaque or calculus (WARNING if you do decide to google search), it will become difficult to remove, and cause long term odor.
Wanna know a simple trick in preventing all of the above that is mentioned? Floss! Flossing daily will remove all food particles in your mouth, preventing the build up of plaque or calculus over a long period of time, IN ADDITION to brushing with a fluoride toothpaste. If all of that gunk and debris are left in the space between your teeth, the environment in your mouth will cause a whitish film between teeth and your breath will start to emit sulfuric compounds. (Pay attention to the space between your teeth after you’ve gone awhile without eating and haven’t flossed, you will know what we are talking about). Left untreated, you will end up with gum disease or Halitosis.
A toothbrush can only reach so much! You simply cannot just rely on solely a toothbrush to get all the food and debris that are stuck out between your teeth. You need to floss. We highly recommend flossing at least twice a day, and if you can, floss after every meal. We know this isn’t possible, but the effect of continuous flossing is huge. Flossing daily will also prevent periodontal disease, which is also known to cause bad breath.
Don’t know how to floss properly?
The key to flossing is that you get not only your teeth, but you get the floss in between your gums too. You then grind the floss in between your gums for a few reps and move onto the next one. Ideally, you’d want to do this in front of a mirror as you’d be able to see the chunks of food, or even some plaque/tar-tar start to form. If you’re able to start flossing early enough, the whitish/yellowish stuff that you’ll see in between your teeth will be removable, but if its too late, then you’d need to see a dentist.
When you first start flossing (if you don’t floss at all), you may notice that it hurts or your gums start bleeding. This should go away after a few days of regular flossing. IMPORTANT: This cannot be half-assed flossing, you need to make sure to really get all the gunk in between your teeth and gums. If its been a few days and the bleeding hasn’t subsided, see your dentist, as this could be signs of gum disease. Make sure to keep healthy and maintain a daily oral hygiene routine.
If you thought this simple trick was insightful, check out Bad Breath Free Forever – an online, step by step program full of simple tricks that will help you eliminate bad breath and give you the confidence in conversation you’ve always wanted.