Your spouse rejects you, your co-workers sit on the opposite side of the room, and your mother won’t kiss you! Sure signs that something is keeping them at a safe distance, and it may just be your breath! But how do you REALLY check to see if you have bad breath?
Most of us will cup our hands and breathe into them – but did you know that this method is actually a fallacy? We can’t actually smell our breath since we breathe constantly and what we are really smelling is the inside of our hands. There are a few scientific ways (other than the long-distance seating arrangement in the office) to see if you are really emitting foul odors from your mouth.
- Even though breathing into your hands doesn’t work, licking the back of your hand does. Let it dry for ten seconds then take a whiff. If you smell a pungent odor then the sulphur salts remaining from your saliva are present and you can be pretty sure your breath smells as well.
- Stick your tongue out and say “AH” – in a mirror. If the back surface of your tongue looks white or yellow, then odds are the remains of bacterial waste are present and are producing odor.
- Run a piece of dental floss through your molars. Then smell the floss. This is a sure indicator of the presence of bacteria between your teeth that will be causing bad breath.
- Wipe the surface of your tongue with an unscented tissue or piece of cotton gauze and wave it dry. Look at it and smell it – if there is an odor, or if you detect a yellowish stain, then there are sulfide residues on your tongue causing bad breath.
- Ask someone – sounds funny, but after you have lunch and before you head into that important meeting, ask someone you trust to please let you blow in his/her direction.
- And, very simply, if you have a bad taste in your mouth it probably smells bad in there too!
Remember, good habits and excellent hygiene are essential to your health and to your breath, so remember to drink lots of water, eat right and incorporate TUNG Brush and Gel into your daily routine – your kids, co-workers, spouse, and mother will all thank you!
