St Valentines day is fast approaching <3 so if you’re puckering up, or having a Galentines or Palentines day I thought I’d leave a couple of tips here to leave your breath fresh for Valentines day and all year round.

Halitosis, or bad breath is caused by sulphur particles present in your mouth nose and throat. These particles are heavier than air and are projected outwards when we breathe or speak causing an odour. To avoid this you can:

1) Clean In-between Your Teeth Everyday

Yes this is good for helping to prevent dental cavities and gum problems, but plaque and food trapping inbetween your teeth will definitely give you bad breath. Using a water flosser, floss or interdental brushes daily will help you with this. My advice would be just get started, with whatever you like the look of. Give it a try and for a more tailor made oral hygiene routine speak to you Dental Hygienist or Dentist. Problems like these seem to mostly happen around the back molars so don’t avoid them, even though they are trickier to get to. Don’t be put off by some bleeding of the gum if you’re trying this for the first time, its not uncommon and should stop after cleaning in-between the teeth daily for a week or so.

2) Brush your Teeth - Twice a Day, Everyday

Most of us know we SHOULD be doing this but how many of us ARE doing it? You definitely need to brush your teeth before bed, for 2 minutes, preferably with a timer, and then one other time throughout the day. No excuses. If you need any tips on toothbrushing you can check out this blog post on bleeding gums.

3) Clean Your Tongue

The back of your tongue can often be coated with bacteria. This is because your tongue is not flat, but covered in thousands of microscopic little taste buds, like a field of little mushrooms. In between these taste buds bacteria, dead cells and small particles of food can gather which can cause odour. This area can also become stained by foods, drinks and using products that contain chlorhexidine so if you’re a Corsodyl mouthwash user you could be waking up to a black tongue in the morning. Avoid this by cleaning your tongue daily with a tongue scraper. Lots of different types of these are available and they’re usually not very expensive. Rinse thoroughly after use and if you would like to you can store scraper side down in some Corsodyl Daily, just check for allergies first. I will leave a how to video below.

4) Stay Well Hydrated

Drinking plenty of water, at least 8 glasses of it a day,will help wash away bacteria that have been known to cause bad breath. Eating lots of fresh fruit also helps with hydration.

5) Remove Your Dentures at Night

Dentures create an ideal environment for bacteria to grow, so removing dentures before bed and leaving them out during the night or keeping them out for at least a 4 hour period during the day will help prevent an overload of bad breath causing bacteria.

6) Avoid Foods that Cause Bad Breath

Seems obvious, but particularly before a big event, avoiding raw onions, garlic and spicy food might be a good idea along with tuna and other fish. Alcohol and coffee have been proven to cause bad breath too.

7) Eat Regular Meals

Avoiding eating will cause bad breath to occur, also be careful with crash, or high protein low carbohydrate diets which will cause a state of ketosis which is also known to cause bad breath.

You should get these areas checked every 6 months with your Dentist.

8) Speak to Your Doctor

Tonsillitis and Tonsil stones cause bad breath, stomach problems and even a runny nose can be a contributor too.

9) Visit your Dentist

Dental Cavities, Infections, Dental Implant problems and older fillings and crowns can all cause bad breath. You can eliminate the risk of this by seeing your Dentist every 6 months.

10) Visit your Dental Hygienist

Last but definitely not least, you should be seeing a Dental Hygienist every 6 months, but most of my patients call in with me every 3. Food traps, plaque and Gum Disease can all give you bad breath and your Dental Hygienist will screen your gums for Gum Disease every visit and give you a tailor made oral hygiene routine so you can do your homework at home. Remember you don’t need to be registered at a dental practice to visit a Dental Hygienist - you can come and see me anytime :)

Say goodbye to bad breath causing bacteria with Gum Disease treatment

Hopefully this has helped shed some light on what you can do to keep bad breath at bay, just an extra two minutes a day as part of your teeth cleaning routine can make all the difference. If you have any questions you can contact me through the Contact Us section of the website and if you like you can visit me for an appointment at Moira Cosmetic Dental or Bupa Dental Care in Glengormley. Happy Valentines Day! Thanks for reading <3.