How To Have The Freshest Breath Today on National Fresh Breath Day

Do people back away when you come near?  The culprit could either be that your deodorant is not getting the job done or that your breath is bad enough to make a skunk turn and run in the other direction. 

If there's ever a day to observe fresh breath, it's today since it's National Fresh Breath Day.  Of course there are many ways to freshen breath with a multitude of different kinds of chewing gum, mints, and other breath enhancers out there but you can't be constantly chewing on something to give you fresh breath.  So, let's address the cause of bad breath so that you don't need to rely on breath enhancers throughout the day.

According to the Mayo Clinic there are several causes of bad breath:

• Food. We're talking garlic, onions, etc.

• Tobacco products.

• Poor dental hygiene. Brush your teeth, including your tongue for pete's sake!

• Dry mouth. If you're producing enough saliva, you should be ok but if not, then make sure you're drinking plenty of water.

• Infections in your mouth.  That takes us back to bad smelling bacteria again.

• nose and throat issues.  Got allergies?  Then this could be relevant for you.  Infections or chronic inflammation in the nose, sinuses or throat can contribute to postnasal drip and potentially causing bad breath.

• Medications. Some medications can indirectly produce bad breath by contributing to dry mouth.

• Some Diseases including Chronic reflux.  These conditions can cause a breath odor because of the chemicals they produce.

If you're actually not sure that you have bad breath, you can either do the classic smell test where you blow your breath against your hand which is placed right in front of your mouth so you get a chance to smell it or ask a trusted friend, family member or coworker--someone who you think will tell you the truth.