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Even though bad breath is the fastest-growing oral problem in today’s world; every 1 in 3
people suffer from it.
It is of course, highly embarrassing when someone points out the bad breathe, or even
worse, politely offers you a piece of mint with a knowing smile. Hence, prevention of bad
breathe, is always better than cure!
What is bad breath, and how is it caused?
Bad breath, or halitosis, has two main causes:
1. The most common cause is dry mouth. Dry mouth is usually caused due to
dehydration, but can also be caused by health problems such as gastric problems,
lung problems, etc.
2. Not cleaning your mouth regularly, especially the insides of your teeth and back of
your tongue causes plaque build-up, that is made up of bacteria that cause bad
breathe.
How to identify bad breathe?
Sometimes, despite taking care of your oral hygiene, a person may face temporary halitosis
due to various factors like dehydration.
A sure shot way to save yourself from social embarrassment is to know beforehand if you
have bad breathe.
An easy test to know if you have halitosis is to lick the back of your hand and let the saliva
dry for a few seconds. If the dried area smells foul, that means you have bad breathe.
In such cases, you can use a wide range of products available over the counter such as
gum, breathe mints and breathe strips; which act as a perfume for your mouth, and help
mask short term halitosis.
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