Halitosis is an oral condition which results in extremely malodorous breath. Here are two steps you can take to avoid developing this dental health issue.

Floss after every single meal (big or small)

People who are fastidious about brushing their teeth twice a day often mistakenly assume that this is enough to prevent halitosis. Unfortunately, this is not true. The bristles of a toothbrush are not usually narrow, stiff or long enough to remove the food particles from the small gaps in between your teeth.

As such, if you hardly ever floss, these food particles will remain stuck in these spaces and will only go away when they eventually dissolve or are rinsed away by your salvia (which could take several days). In the meantime, two halitosis-inducing processes will occur. Firstly, the food particles will gradually start to rot; as they do, they will emit a foul-smelling odour that will affect your breath.

Secondly, the plaque bacteria in your mouth will feast on these particles, after which they will excrete an extremely acidic fluid that will not only damage your tooth enamel but will also give you halitosis. As such, if you want to keep your breath smelling fresh, it is vital to floss your teeth thoroughly after every single meal (including small snacks).

Ask your dentist to teach you how to properly sanitise your dental device

Removable dental devices such as dentures and retainers must be sanitised on a regular basis. The reason for this is as follows; the warmth, oxygen and moisture in your mouth make it a perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Because of this, any dental device that is placed inside your mouth will, over the course of a few hours, gradually become covered in millions of bacteria. This coating of bacteria will make your dental device smell extremely malodorous, which will, in turn, result in you developing halitosis.

As such, it is vital to thoroughly sanitise your dentures or retainer at the end of every day. If you're have not done this before, you should ask your dentist to demonstrate the correct way to perform the sanitisation process, and ask them for recommendations for specific cleaning products. In most cases, dentists advise their patients to wash dentures with a toothbrush and some toothpaste, before placing them in a glass filled with denture-sanitising solution. Retainers usually need to be rinsed thoroughly before being left to soak in a solution of retainer-cleaning fluid.

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