1. Is it possible for you to smell your own breath?

In most of us, the tongue is probably the major source of oral malodor and bad breath. Here is small tip on how to smell on your own: Stick out your tongue as far as it will come out, and lick one of your wrists with your own saliva. Wait five seconds, and smell. You will be surprised to find that even you have your own odor.

Strangely, the smell of the front end of the tongue isn’t the real problem. It is at the deepest part of your mouth, towards your throat. In many people with bad breath, there will be a yellowish mucous on the back of the mouth and this can be collected with a scrapping of the posterior surface of the tongue.

2. Where does the odor on the back of the tongue come from?

Though uncertain, it seems that the origin of this material is post-nasal drip, as many people suffer from post nasal drip.
As all of us know, most of the mucus secretion rolls down your throat, but some of it may get stuck on the tongue. After a few days, it starts putrefying on the skin layers when millions of bacteria start breaking it down to smell causing compounds.
Whether or not this is true, the back of the tongue is a major source of bad breath, and the odor which it gives off has a typical smell of its own.

3. Bad Breath from the Stomach! Is it true?

Though there are reported cases of bad breath emanating from stomach, such occurrences are very rare. The esophageal tube, which connects the stomach with your mouth, is not an always open tube, but is closed most of the times.
Every chunk of food you ingest moves down so slowly down to the stomach, just like a snakes eating frog. We often belch sometimes with every food chunk, when a little bubble of air moves from the stomach to the mouth.

Whenever, there is a belching incident, some people may emit foul smelling gas from their stomach. However, though it may sound true, bad odor from your stomach is a rare occurrence. Thus it seems the stomach is probably the last place to look for foul odors and gases.

4. Bacteria in and around the gum line. How dangerous are they?

Though some people do sport a fine set of teeth, which are healthy and clean, most of us need to visit of dentists almost on a regular basis. Just ask any of your dentists and he will tell you about that awful odor coming out of your jaw line.
Gum line is probably the most preferred place for harmful bacteria to grow and multiply. There are two types of bacteria; one that needs oxygen to survive properly, and the other which do not required oxygen for their life.
Those bacteria which can grow very well even without oxygen are the most dangerous of the lot, as they are known to create a combination of volatile and foul smelling compounds, which ultimately come out as bad breath.

5. Is it possible to prevent bad breath by cleaning your teeth properly?

Proper brushing (several minutes every time, making sure to stroke properly, massage the gums and get everywhere), flossing (or a similar method of cleaning between adjacent teeth and gums), and periodic visits to the hygienist are of prime importance in having fresh breath.

6. Simple Tips for Tongue Brushing

You will need to develop a habit of cleaning your tongue whenever you brush your teeth. Always choose a brush that minimizes reflex action. See you stroke your brush from near the throat in an outwards motion. Never press very hard with your tooth brush as you may damage your tongue. Use a good mouth wash and freshener liberally.
The best way of cleaning your tongue is to use a tongue scraper. Alternatively, you can also use a piece of gauze, washcloth or other material, which you can wet with mouthwash or water.

People with a hairy tongue will have more chances of getting bad breath from their tongue itself. People with serious dental disease will also get serious bad breath problems. Smokers are likely to get a foul smelling mouth odor after repeated usage of cigarettes and tobacco.

7. How important is flossing the teeth?

It is important to use floss properly, following professional instruction. Remember to floss around the ends of the teeth at the ends of each row.

Children would probably have problems flossing, since it requires a delicate control of the fingers they don’t have yet. One of the great advantages of using floss is that you can smell the floss directly following each passage between the teeth, and clean the smelly areas more diligently.

8. Are toothpicks important?

Some dentists recommend anatomical toothpicks, rather than floss to clean the gum lines and crevices. There are several reasons for this advice.

Many dentists feel people are too lazy to use floss on a regular basis, and that toothpicks are better substitutes. The advantage of using non-scented toothpicks is similar to floss, you can smell the toothpick between each passage and get a very good idea of the places that are causing the odor.

A main disadvantage of toothpicks is they are incapable of cleaning behind the last teeth in each row, whereas floss can do that very effectively. Since usually the smell gets worse as you progress from the front teeth working back, a lot of smelly bacteria can be hiding behind the last teeth, particularly if the end tooth in the row is a wisdom tooth.

9. How effective are sprays and breath mints?

Sprays and regular mint candies are considered to be relatively ineffective in combating bad breath. Don’t be fooled by the burning sensation - it is your own cells in pain, not the bacteria.

10. Should I use mouthwash to control bad breath?

Commercial mouthwash available in your drug store, usually contain a formulation consisting of flavor, alcohol, and antibacterial agent. Several types of mouthwash have been shown to reduce malodor in clinical trials, including 0.2% chlorhexidine mouth rinses and Listerine.

11. When is the best time to rinse?

The best time to use any mouth rinse appears to be right before sleeping at night. You must deep gargle using a good mouth cleaning liquid, taking care to touch the inner most areas of tongue.

12. Does chewing gum help relieve my bad breath?

The efficacy of chewing gum is probably due to the effect of salivation, combined with the cleansing effect of mastication.

Chewing gum has its downsides. The best compromise appears to be to chew gum for a minute or two at a time. One can chew for a minute or so in privacy, and part with the wad in the washroom, before stepping back into society.

13. Chewing cloves will help you get rid of bad breath

Cloves are the best possible home remedy, containing a strong essential oil, which helps prevent bad odor from your mouth.
Not everyone likes the taste of cloves, but the essential oil of clove is deadly against bacteria. The antibacterial agents are oily and can be derived from the clove in the form of essential oil, and can be incorporated into mouthwash and toothpastes.
Clove oil also has analgesic properties, and is used by dentists for many things. Other essential oils that have some antibacterial activity in the mouth include those derived from eucalyptus, cinnamon and mint.

14. Making your own mouthwash in your home

Here are some simple home made mouth wash:

The basic commercial mouthwash may contain up to about 2% of flavor like clove oil or mint, up to 2% of a surfactant to dissolve the flavor and to provide foaming, up to 2% humectants and/or thickener, 25% alcohol, and active ingredients.

Ingredients reported to have an effect in controlling odor include zinc chloride (usually around 0.2%), quaternary ammonium compounds (for example, cetylpyridinium chloride up to 0.05%) and certain combinations of essential oils. The most effective antibacterial agent present in mouthwashes is probably chlorhexidine.

Chlorhexidine containing mouthwashes are good for initial diagnosis and therapy, as well as for post surgery treatment, but are not advised for every day use. Although some investigators have reported sodium bicarbonate reduces bad breath, it is usually ineffective.

15 Does smoking aggravate bad breath?

Apart from its carcinogenic properties, smoking can increase the incidence of gum (periodontal) disease and post-nasal drip, two of the most important bad breath risks.

Furthermore, in many people, the smoke odor lingers in the mouth itself and mixes with the other smells, resulting in a particularly noxious aroma. Most probably, the smoke components are retained in the mouth itself, rather than in the lung.

Smoke residues in your mouth may lacerate the skin cells, creating a favorable environment for many harmful bacteria to cause infection. This action will invariably affects in bacteria digesting left over food debris and dead cells.

16. When does bad breath get even worse?

Bad breath usually gets worse:

• When you wake up from your sleep:

A dry mouth causes bad breath and odor to come out of your mouth at an accelerated speed. During sleep, the tongue and mouth dries up due to lack of saliva. As saliva starts increasing in levels, the degree of bad breath comes down.

• After eating copious amounts of milk products and meat:

After eating products with high levels of proteins, such as milk products and meat, the level of bad odor from the mouth goes up.

If a little piece of meat remains between you teeth for a time, it is rapidly putrefied to toxin compounds. Foods containing excessive amount of onions, garlic, and various spices may cause bad breath.

17. Bad Breath in Kids

Babies usually do not have bad odor coming out of their mouth and usually have a sweet breath. Though this is generally true, even babies and small children can have bad breath.

One common type of bad odor is one associated with throat and mouth infections, a foul smell mothers recognize better than men.

Very young children often sport a bad smell from the back of their tongues. Bad dental hygiene is another cause for bad breath in young kids and teenaged children, as they cannot clean their tongue to the deepest point possible. Curing bad breath in children is difficult owing to sensitive tongue and gums.

18. Practical tips for young children and spouses with bad odor

Children should brush their teeth properly at least twice a day using clean brush motions. In case of small babies, you can also use clean cotton swabs or a piece of cloth.

Check for bad odor every day and in case of any problems, contact your dentist immediately. A nightly gargle with Sodium chloride solution may help reduce teeth infection.

Spouses: A case of bad mouth can create a difficult situation in any marriage. Bad breath can ruin personal relationship as someone with an acute sense of personal hygiene will never tolerate a spouse with bad mouth. Especially true during times of personal intimacy!

A bad smelling mouth must be sorted as soon as possible