What helps against bad breath?

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Bad breath is an annoying taboo subject for many. Although in rare cases it only poses a serious medical problem, it is very uncomfortable for outsiders. “You can’t decide for yourself whether you have bad breath or not. This can only be perceived from the environment,” says Philippe Zuber, dentist and owner of the Philippe E. Zuber dental practice in Oerlikon, Zurich. It is precisely this ignorance that makes recognizing bad breath completely difficult. Many people find it difficult to talk to the person who is worried about their offensive breath odor because of rudeness.

reasons

According to Zuber, bad breath is usually caused by bacteria. “The coating on the tongue and inflammation in the oral cavity often lead to bad breath,” the dentist explains. Anyone on the Atkins diet is also at risk for bad breath. “On this diet, you only eat animal protein. This leads to the exhalation of ketone bodies, which can promote bad breath,” says Zuber. But there are also rare metabolic diseases that can cause breath odor.

According to the dentist, another reason is the decrease in the amount of saliva that may occur due to age or drug treatment. This makes the oral cavity drier, which encourages bad breath. You often hear that older people are more sensitive to bad breath, but that’s not necessarily true, according to Zuber: “There are very old people whose oral hygiene is no longer optimal. But this varies from situation to situation! I also have patients over the age of 90 with excellent oral hygiene.»

get rid of bad breath

To combat bad breath, you must first know the cause and then eliminate it. Therefore, according to Zuber, it is not possible to say what you can do for bad breath in general. However, a lack of oral hygiene is often the trigger. “If tongue coating is a problem, you need to remove it regularly. On the other hand, you need to treat an inflammatory disease in the oral cavity,” says Zuber.

If you have been suffering from bad breath for a long time, you should ideally go to a dentist. During the consultation, the cause can be determined so that bad breath can be effectively combated.

Tips for fresh breath

1. Tongue cleaning: Tongue cleaning with tongue brush and special tongue paste can be an effective solution against bad breath.
2. Brush your teeth properly: So make sure you practice good oral and dental hygiene, including cleaning the surface of your tongue and the spaces between your teeth.
3. Having a dry mouth all the time can make bad breath worse. Then regular meals and sugar-free gum that stimulates saliva flow in between helps. By stimulating the flow of saliva, chewing gum can help with dry mouth.
4. Avoid nicotine and alcohol if possible. Smoking reduces saliva and is therefore harmful.
5. Ask for a meeting with your family doctor. They can find the exact cause of bad breath or refer you to a specialist. In most cases, simple measures will help, otherwise you will need to have your tonsils, nose and paranasal sinuses checked by a doctor.

Source : Blick