BAD BREATH I

I want to discuss ten ways to get rid of bad breath.  I'll discuss five in this blog and the last five in the next.

1. The most obvious one is brush and floss!  Your mouth contains millions of bacteria.  In fact, there are probably more bacteria colonized in your mouth than there are cells in your entire body.  Of the some 700 kinds of bacteria that thrive in the mouth, scientists have identified and studied fewer than half - which makes it difficult to know exactly how to combat the odors that all those bacteria give off as a byproduct when they digest their food.  Regardless, there are a few things you can do to beat the bad breath caused by germs.  Start by keeping your mouth clean.  Your food supply is their food supply.  Although you can try to kill bacteria with mouthwash, this is only a temporary solution.  The bacteria will grow back over time.  Your best defense is to brush your teeth thoroughly at least twice a day, and floss once a day.  This will help remove the food trapped between your teeth, as well as the food trapped in the gum line.  Otherwise, both of these areas would provide breeding grounds for bacteria.  If food particles are left to linger, bad breath is imminent.
2. Scrape your tongue.  Scientists suspect bacteria, particularly bacteria located on the top of your tongue closest to your throat, actually protect against foul-smelling breath.  Other types of bacteria, however, produce a pungent odor as they multiply.  What does this mean for you? The type of bacteria most prevalent on your tongue could mean the difference between good and bad breath.  Unfortunately, researchers don't yet know how to tip the bacterial balance so that you'll always have naturally sweet breath.  So....get yourself a tongue cleaner.  This handheld device is designed to scrape the surface of the tongue and remove the odor-causing debris from its surface.
3. Hydrate your mouth.  After a good night's sleep, you no doubt get a whiff of your morning breath.  Why is morning breath so awful?  You produce less saliva when you're asleep.  Saliva contains oxygen, and oxygen deters the growth of bacteria.  Actually, your mouth can become dry during the waking hours for myriads of reasons.  Saliva cleans your mouth, it's naturally antibacterial, and it washes away food particles.  So, brush and floss, scrape your tongue, rinse with clear nonalcoholic mouthwash, and drink drink drink water throughout the day.  Water is so important to the body for so many reasons, so drink up.  You'll feel great and it deters energy slumps.
4. Don't mask the mess.  Relying on a mint to mask bad breath works as well as using perfume to mask body odor.  The smell breaks through eventually.  Mints and gum don't kill the bacteria that's causing the stench.  It's also possible that your stinky breath is caused by a medical condition.  Although mouth odor is often associated with gum disease or tooth decay, it can occasionally signal health problems such as respiratory or sinus infections, bronchitis, diabetes or kidney or liver malfunctions.  If checkups with your dentist or physician don't uncover a medical condition, AND if you're cleaning your teeth and tongue on a regular basis, the cause could be as close as your dinner plate.  Which leads me to number 5.
5. Eat right smell right.  The foods you ingest can exert lots of influence on how your breath smells.  The obvious culprits are garlic or onions.  Some bad breath causing foods may surprise you.  Meat particles are known for sticking around, even after you've swallowed your steak and washed it down with liquid.  They collect at the gum line, get stuck between teeth and sometimes make their way under fillings or crowns - and are especially attractive to reproducing bacteria.  High protein and low-carb diets aren't great for your breath.  Eating fewer than 100 grams of carbs a day causes a condition known as ketosis.  While this condition forces your body to burn fat instead of sugar, ketosis is notorious for causing bad breath.