Patients who suffer from bad breath will go to all sorts of lengths to stop the condition from happening. It can really inhibit your social life and make things such as business meetings and job interviews into nightmare scenarios. One of the most obvious ways to rectify the problem is to use mouth wash to freshen the breath. The advertising states that mouth wash kills bacteria and freshens breath so it is a common method for people to use. But the story is not that simple.
Mouth wash is taken into the mouth, swilled around, gargled with and then spat out. It does indeed kill bacteria but it kills all of the bacteria in the mouth, some of which is good bacteria. Mouth wash also makes the mouth very dry and, as a consequence, bad breath bacteria can thrive in these conditions because the surfaces of teeth are easier to ‘stick to’.

In the short term you breath might be freshened up by the flavour of the mouth wash but bad breath can quickly come back. Often people like to chew gum after using mouth wash because it moistens up the mouth quickly. This is not to say that mouth wash should always be avoided; sometimes dentists advise patients to use certain mouth washes on occasions because they can be helpful in the fight against gingivitis, the most basic form of gum disease. It is better to deal with the root causes of bad breath which might be found in the types of food that you are eating or the fact of having a dry mouth generally. Brushing properly and flossing too are effective general methods of combatting bad breath and brushing your tongue is also advisable because bad breath bacteria thrive on the tongue. Talk to a Leeds dentist for more handy hints.

Bad breath is something that most people will probably do their best to avoid. It can make it very socially difficult knowing that there are unpleasant smells emitting from your mouth because of bacteria. These bacteria hang around from the food you eat and are usually removed by brushing alone but some people find that that is not enough.
Many turn to oral products like mouth wash to get rid of their bad breath (or, as it is clinically known, halitosis) because they kill bacteria and freshen the breath thanks to their flavours, often something like mint. But unfortunately mouth wash can actually make the problem worse. Mouth washes leave your mouth rather dry because they kill the bacteria and so on. This leaves your teeth in an ideal state for bacteria to form and gives them a better chance of sticking to your teeth and causing further bouts of bad breath.
You might want to chew gum if you are in a situation where you can’t brush your teeth but are worried about bad breath. Chewing gum not only dislodges food debris which can cause bad breath but also stimulates saliva production which helps make the mouth moist and less suitable for the bacteria to stick to your teeth.
Brushing the tongue can also help because the bacteria causing bad breath can gather there too. You should be fairly gentle with this though so that you don’t damage your tongue. Your Leeds dentist will be an expert in all areas of your mouth and so can advise you about all issues relating to bad breath. Don’t hesitate to contact him or her if you are worried about bad breath and the effect that oral products might be having on it.