Good-Bye To Bad Breath

Bad breath (halitosis) is a common problem which often comes from the activity of bacteria in the mouth. Although there is no way of knowing for sure, most adults probably suffer from bad breath occasionally, with perhaps a quarter suffering on a regular basis.

Bad breath is a sure-fire way to send potential suitors scrambling for the exits. Chances are, that yummy chicken you enjoyed at lunch is still hanging around in your mouth, which can cause less-than-pleasant-smelling bacteria to form, especially on your tongue.

Our bad-breath weapon of choice is a tongue scraper, which some say resembles a medieval torture implement but is actually a disposable U-shaped plastic tool with tiny ridges on one side. It's very easy to use, and it will help clear away any leftover food and odor-causing bacteria that have settled on your tongue.
Starting at the back of your mouth, gently drag the scraper along your tongue two or three times, rinsing it in between each pass.
Follow up by drinking a glass of water to flush out any other bacteria that have formed in your mouth.

Problem	Possible cause
Odour after fasting, dieting, sleeping, taking medications, prolonged speaking, exercise	Dryness in the mouth, insufficient saliva flow
Gums bleed and/or smell	Gum problems, poor cleaning between teeth
Odour upon talking	Postnasal drip on back of tongue
Odour at onset of menstrual cycle	Swelling of gums
Small whitish stones with foul odour appear on tongue	Tonsilloliths from crypts in tonsils
Odour appears suddenly from mouth of young children	Onset of throat infection
Odour appears suddenly from nose of young children	Foreign body placed in nose
Odour appears suddenly from entire body of young children	Foreign body placed in nose
Taste or smell of rotten fish	Trimethylaminuria (rare)
Odour in denture wearers	Dentures kept in mouth at night or not cleaned properly
Odour from nose	Sinusitis, polyps, dryness, foreign body, hindered air or mucus flow
Bad taste all day long	Poor oral hygiene, gum disease, excessive bacterial activity on tongue