There is not a mouth on earth that isn’t going to give off an offensive odor after housing strong smelling foods like garlic, onions, coffee, or alcohol to name a few. You know that your breath needs to be freshened after a meal or strong drink; but what about bad breath causes that are brought on by other factors? How do you know when your breath chronically smells bad? Here are a five ways to test bad breath that is coming out of your mouth.
1. Lick Your Wrist
This is probably not something you want to do in front of others, but you can give quick lick on your wrist. The saliva that is left on your skin will give you a good indicator of what your breath smells like. Just give a quick sniff, and if there is a foul odor, it is time to freshen up.
2. Use Dental Floss
One good way to check the odor or your breath is to use dental floss. Take a piece of the floss and go between teeth that are in the back of your mouth. The teeth at the back of your mouth collect a great deal of food. Now it is time to take a whiff of the floss, if it has a foul odor, then you can bet your breath does as well.
3. Scrape Your Tongue
Your tongue can be a big culprit to housing bad smells. The amount of bacteria that can live on the tongue brings a bad odor with it. Take a spoon or a tongue scraper and gently scrape a section of your tongue near the back. Be sure that you go carefully so that you do not gag yourself. Smell the spoon or scraper for foul odors. You might know that you have bacteria from the bad taste that it leaves in your mouth. If your mouth doesn’t feel fresh, then it isn’t.
4. Swab With Cotton
By using a cotton ball or q-tip, you can swab the inside your mouth toward the back of your throat. The cotton will pick up the odor of your mouth and give you a way to smell it. If there is discolorations or a yellow tinge on the swab, it is from an excessive amount of bacteria build up.
5. Check With a Mirror
If you don’t want to smell your breath, you can take a look at your tongue to draw a pretty good conclusion. While in front of a mirror, stick your tongue out as far as it can go. If your tongue appears to be white or have discolorations, it is likely emitting foul aromas.
Bad breath causes can range from the foods you eat to other problems such as dental or health issues. It is best to visit your dentist and discuss your concerns regarding halitosis causes.
If you are looking for a Dallas bad breath clinic, North Dallas Denture Center is able to schedule you for regular checkups, as well as consultations with Dr. Roe. Instead of wondering if you have halitosis or other dental issues, please consider scheduling an appointment with our caring Dr. Jason Roe and team.
