Unfortunately its probably something that we’ve all experienced: meeting that person at a party or business occasion whose breath smells unpleasant. What’s worse is when that person is you. It can put a real downer on your ability to socialise if you are aware that there are unsavoury aromas emitting from your mouth every time you talk or even smile. Dentists in Sunbury and beyond call it halitosis and beating this affliction can be achieved by understanding what is causing it in the first place.

The first and most basic thing to understand is that halitosis is caused by the prevalence of certain bacteria in the mouth. This can be made worse by the presence of certain types of food debris that have particularly pungent aromas. Removing the bacteria and the debris will help to put a stop to bad breath but, beyond that, you should try and make your mouth a place in which the bacteria is unable to return to and thrive.

Of course brushing and flossing play their part here. Try to be more rigorous with your brushing, although not more aggressive. Make sure that you are covering all possible corners of your mouth so that bacteria and debris are removed. Remember also that bad breath bacteria likes to hang around on tongues, so you can brush there too although be gentle.

Think carefully about whether or not you want to use mouth wash. Although they invariably boast of being able to kill bad breath, the problem with mouth washes is that they leave the mouth particularly dry after use and this is the condition in which bad breath bacteria can easily hang around. The key then is to keep your mouth nice and moist so that the bacteria cannot ‘stick’ to teeth.