Tips on Fresh Breath

Bad breath, referred to in the orthodontic community as halitosis, has a few causes. Oral bacteria are commonly the problem behind bad breath, as they live in the areas between your gums and teeth and the deep recesses of your tongue. Volatile sulfur compounds, created by those bacteria, are the source of the actual smell, as they are the same compounds found in rotten meat and eggs. Preventing bad breath takes only a few extra steps in your daily routine.

Tongue Scraping

• A commonly overlooked step in oral hygiene, tongue scraping is very effective in treating and preventing bad breath. The scrapers remove the buildup of those volatile sulfur compounds, and therefore lead to fresher breath. The best place to scrape is near the back of the tongue, where the buildup is strongest.

Chlorine Dioxide Mouthwashes

• Instead of using alcohol-based mouthwashes, which can actually dry your mouth out and lead to worse smelling breath, switch to rinses with chlorine dioxide. These rinses actually attack the VSCs that cause bad breath instead of just masking odor like other rinses.

Sugarless Gum

• Chewing sugarless gum stimulates saliva flow, which inhibits buildup of VSCs. It also helps to clean teeth after a meal, and mask temporary food odors. Sugarless gum is best because it does not provide another food source to the bacteria in your mouth, and therefore they make less VSCs.