We all cringe at the thought of having bad breath. It can be embarrassing and unhealthy. You may do what you can to avoid it, but how do you know if you actually suffer from halitosis? Cupping your hands and breathing into them is an old trick, but it doesn’t really work. The bad odor of your breath hides in the back of your mouth and comes out when you speak. Try these tricks to give you a hint of how your breath smells.
- Wipe the back of your tongue with a clean cotton swab for about 15 minutes. Wait a few seconds and sniff the cotton swab. This sample is what your breath may smell like.
- Floss a few of your back teeth with a piece of unflavored dental floss. Wait a few seconds and smell the floss. Since the back of your mouth is the source of halitosis, this is a good preview of what your breath smells like.
- Lick your wrist. Wait a few seconds for the saliva to dry a little, and then smell it.
- Ask a trusted friend or family member for the truth. It can be embarrassing, but then you’ll know for sure how your breath smells when talking to other people.
- If you notice a frequent bad taste in your mouth, you could have bad breath. In addition, if your mouth is dry, you don’t have enough saliva to help clean the bacteria from your mouth, and it could cause a bad odor.
The only way to definitely diagnose halitosis is by a trip to the dentist. Dr. Stewart treats bad breath with the BreathRx system. This fresh breath treatment has a variety of take-home hygiene products that contain ZYTEX to fight the oral bacteria that cause bad breath. ZYTEX is an ingredient with zinc, eucalyptus oil, and thymol that neutralizes volatile sulfur compounds that cause bad oral odors.
Ask Dr. Stewart to help you build your portable take-home breath treatment kit, complete with floss, mints, gum, tongue scrapers, and mouth spray. To get tested for bad breath, contact our dental office in Livonia, MI at 734.425.4400.