The first thing to do is determine if your breath is fresh
Bad Breath? It’s Probably
Not Your Teeth
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Bad breath easier to beat than you might think
Best way to check your own breath: Lick back of your
hand, let it dry, then smell
Expert: Bad breath typically not a sign of bad hygiene
To fight it: Drink water, chew sugar-free gum to pro-
duce saliva, which beats bacteria
(CNN) -- Ida Alvarez avoided close conversations. She
was afraid of what someone might tell her. She was
pretty sure she had really bad breath.
"It is such an embarrassing situation," Alvarez, 31, of
Los Angeles told CNN. "There was always a bitter
taste in my mouth, but I didn't want to ask anyone if
my breath smelled bad because I was afraid of a nega-
tive reply."
Her keep-a-distance approach might be a good strat-
egy given most of our natural reaction to bad breath,
known medically as halitosis. It can wilt your love life,
and even cost you that new job, according to surveys.
However, the 90 million Americans who suffer from
bad breath -- and the innocent bystanders -- will be
glad to know that the unwanted odor is easier to get
rid of than you might think.
Do you have it?
or foul. Most people with stinky breath aren't even
aware they have it, because the brain becomes accli-
mated to one's own personal scent. The good news is
there are ways to self-diagnose.
Start with a tongue check. What color is it? A pink,
shiny tongue indicates fresh breath. However, a
tongue that's white and scaly in appearance can indi-
cate bad breath, according to Dr. Harold Katz, bacteri-
ologist and founder of the California Breath Clinic.
Smelling your own breath in cupped hands is not the
best way to check for halitosis, Katz says. Instead, lick
the back of your hand, let it dry for a few seconds, and
then smell the surface.
Alvarez's fears of bad breath had her so self-conscious
she avoided kissing her significant other. "I would
brush my teeth but was still worried he'd think I was
gross."
It's important to remember that bad breath is typically
not a sign of bad dental hygiene. "It usually has noth-
ing to do with teeth," Katz says. "You can have good
teeth, rotten teeth or no teeth at all and still have bad
breath. It has to do with the tongue."
Think of your tongue as a shaggy carpet and your
mouth as a mobile chemistry lab. More than 600 types
of bacteria are found in the average mouth. Many of
those bacteria get trapped under the surface of the
tongue and cause the bad breath. Contd. ...
How to fight it
Fighting the smelly bacteria is like preparing for bat-
tle. Stay hydrated. A dry mouth is a breeding ground
for offensive-smelling bacteria on your tongue.
"Saliva has oxygen in it, which makes it a natural en-
emy for the foul-smelling bacteria," Katz says. "They
can't live in the presence of oxygen, so drinking water
and chewing sugar-free gum can produce saliva and
naturally get rid of bad breath."
Popping a sugar-free mint or using mouthwash aren't
bad ideas, but they're only temporary fixes. They
mask the smell but won't kill the bacteria that cause
the odor. And watching what you eat doesn't just ap-
ply to your waistline. Some foods can trigger bad
breath. If you're worried, limit consumption of foods
like garlic, onions, curry, and fish. Acidic beverages
like beer, wine, coffee and soda can also be a trigger.
They all contain foul-odor-releasing compounds that
get absorbed into your bloodstream. The odor is given
off in your breath until all of the food is out of your
body. Limit chocolate candy and sweets, as well. The
sugar helps bacteria to reproduce in your mouth, lead-
ing to bad breath.
On the flip side, there are foods that fix bad breath,
Katz says.
Green tea has anti-bacterial properties that knock out
the stink. Cinnamon contains essential oils that kill
many types of oral bacteria. Try adding fresh cinna-
mon to your morning toast or oatmeal, or adding a
stick to flavor your tea.
Eating crisp fruits and vegetables, such as celery or
apples, offers dual bad-breath-busting benefits. Chew-
ing them will produce more saliva in your mouth, and
the firm texture will also help scrub away bacteria, ac-
cording to Katz. Melons and berries also help.
"I tell my patients to load up on berries, melons, or-
anges, and other foods high in Vitamin C, because
they help kill smelly bacteria naturally," Katz says.
If you modify your lifestyle and eating habits yet bad
breath persists, contact your health care provider to
make sure it isn't a sign of a more serious medical con-
dition. Roughly 10% of bad breath cases are a symp-
tom of chronic sinus or respiratory infection, reflux
disease, liver and kidney disorder, cancer or diabetes.
These diseases can release chemicals into the body
that result in bad breath.
How to break bad breath news
Don't forget that most people can't smell their own
breath. So if you detect a friend's bad breath, you
should speak up. Granted, telling a a close colleague,
friend or lover that his or her breath is offensive can be
awkward for everybody involved. But it is the right
thing to do. After all, if you were the one with stinky
breath, wouldn't you want to know?
"My mom was the one who finally told me my breath
smelled bad. She couldn't hold back," Alvarez says. "It
embarrassed me at first, but I'm happy she said some-
thing, because now I watch what I eat, drink more wa-
ter and use products to get rid of it."
Patricia Napier-Fitzpatrick, founder of The Etiquette
School of New York, acknowledges the delicacy of the
issue, but says speaking up is all part of having good
manners. "If people are talking about them behind
their back, it turns into a worse situation. If you re-
spect the person, it's your duty to tell them."
There are two possible approaches, according to Fitz-
patrick. Sit down with your friend in a private setting
and be direct. Begin the conversation by telling them
you believe there is something they would want to
know and that you aren't sure they are aware of the
problem.
Or, if you know the person is sensitive, you may need
to be more cautious about your approach. Delicately
bring up the issue by carrying mints with you. Take
one yourself first and then offer one to your friend
who has bad breath. If the person doesn't accept, Fitz-
patrick says it is acceptable to offer a nudge by simply
saying, "I think you should."
First impressions, professional and personally, are
long-lasting. So don't let bad breath wilt your image.
In most cases, taking simple steps to control the chem-
istry lab living inside your mouth will keep you smell-
ing fresh.