Halitosis (bad breath) is often caused from poor oral health. If you do not floss on a daily basis and brush your teeth at least 2 times a day, it is easy to allow bacteria to grow in the mouth. Bacteria will cause the smell of bad breath. This bacteria can also stick to your tongue, causing the smell of bad breath to be there all day. Without proper oral health, you will increase your risk of developing gingivitis and tooth decay.

Bad breath can be masked by gum and mints, but it doesn't change the fact that bad breath may still be sour smelling throughout the entire day. Most people that suffer from halitosis are not even aware that they have bad breath.

To control halitosis, watch what you eat. Certain foods like onions and garlic will cause bad breath to occur because they are absorbed into the blood stream and exhaled thorough the lungs. When this happens, gum and mints will not help your bad breath situation. Even proper brushing and flossing or gargling with mouthwash won't help it. At this time, you simply need to wait until the food has been passed through the bloodstream.

If you do not have time to brush your teeth after every meal, increase your intake of water. Make sure you switch your mouth several times to remove any loose food particles from the teeth to make your breath smell better and to limit the amount of bacteria in the mouth. It is also important to keep the mouth and throat moist as this will help to cut down on the bad breath smell.

Smokers and dieters often struggle with halitosis. This is because smoking is also absorbed into the blood stream and the carbon dioxide is sent out through the mouth. This will release a foul stench. Coffee drinkers are also at risk for bad breath, especially if they do not cleanse their mouths with water after drinking the coffee. Dieters have a hard time with bad breath due to infrequent eating. You do not need to graze all day, but it helps to consume food every 2-3 hours. This will help to cut down on the bad breath smell.

 If you brush regularly and you drink plenty of water and you still struggle with halitosis, seek the advice of your dentist. Your medications could be causing the bad breath odor. It can also be caused from problems with the salivary glands. If this is the case, you will need to start chewing gum or sucking on mints to increase the amount of saliva in the mouth. Sugarless gum and candy will help to increase saliva and they do not encourage bacterial growth because they do not contain sugar.

People with sinus conditions, bronchitis, diabetes, postnasal drips, kidney problems, and gastrointestinal problems often suffer from bad breath. If your mouth is healthy and you do not have gingivitis or other oral health problems, you will need to seek the attention of a specialist to determine if you have another problem like a nasal drip.

Mouth surgery like a tooth extraction can increase halitosis. When you swallow blood, the body often emits a foul odor. During this time, it is best to let the mouth heal itself by rinsing with salt water and drinking plenty of water.

Use mouthwash that includes fluoride and alcohol. The alcohol will help to cut down on the amount of bacteria in the mouth and this can reduce the unpleasant smell of bad breath. If you continue to have bad breath during the day, carry some tongue strips with you. These will help to cut down on the bacteria. When you brush your teeth, make sure you brush your tongue or use a tongue scraper to remove the bacteria that is growing in between the taste buds, this is often the cause of bad breath for most people.