February is National Children’s Dental Health Month. The National Children’s Dental Health Month is a…
Chronic Bad Breath: What’s the Deal?
When we suffer from bad breath, it can be embarrassing, but we are not alone. We are among 90 million other Americans that also suffer from this ailment. The good news is that there are simple ways to stop it in its tracks. The first step is to have a proper dental health evaluation. This evaluation will help us discover any underlying conditions, such as gum disease, cavities or cracked fillings. If our oral health is in good standing, there are a few simple things that we can do to rectify the problem of bad breath.
Bad Breath Tactics
Enhance our oral hygiene – Sometimes bad breath is simply attributed to poor oral hygiene habits. Even if we brush our teeth twice a day, if we are not doing it right, we are not killing the germs that cause bad breath. When we brush our teeth, the toothbrush should be at a 45-degree angle and with light circular motions, we should thoroughly brush every tooth in our mouth, especially those way in the back. Those back teeth are often the culprit for bad breath as food particles can easily become lodged in them, making our breath less than pleasant to smell.
- Drink a lot of water – Water helps our body in a large number of ways, including washing out harmful food particles from our mouth that can contribute to bad breath. Because a dry mouth is often the culprit of bad breath, always keep water with you and take care to drink a glass after every meal.
- Avoid the use of mints – Breath mints, as they are so commonly known, simply mask the odor in our mouth, they are not a solution to the problem. While they might provide a temporary fix, once the mint smell is gone, the bad breath odor comes back. Avoid using breath mints as a method of oral hygiene.
- Chew sugarless gum – Sugarless gum that contains Xylitol could help to eliminate bad breath if chewed for 20 minutes following a meal. This tactic should not be used in place of brushing our teeth, but can be a helpful tactic when we are unable to get to our toothbrush right away.
- Carry toothpicks or floss – If there is an opportunity to slip into the bathroom and floss or use a toothpick, this could help to minimize bad breath by eliminating the harmful food particles in our mouth.
Chronic bad breath can be handled with these few simple tips, but always remember to keep regularly scheduled biannual dental appointments to ensure that oral health is in good standing.
Dr. Jordan Cooper is from Jacksonville, AR. His father is Dr. James Cooper, a Jonesboro, AR native and practicing dentist of 39 years and his mother, Tracy Cooper, is a dental hygienist from Little Rock. Dr. Cooper graduated high school from Central Arkansas Christian, after which he entered at the University of Arkansas as a Chancellor’s Scholar in 1998.
Dr. David Cole is a graduate from the University of Arkansas, receiving his degree in 2016, and is a huge Razorback fan! He then went to dental school at the University of Tennessee where he received his D.D.S. in 2021. He looks forward to getting to know the Central Arkansas area, and serving his community!
Dr. Rasmussen is a Hot Springs native who graduated from the University of Central Arkansas in 2017 (Go Bears). After receiving his D.D.S from The University of Tennessee in 2021, he is looking forward to serving the central Arkansas community and the wonderful people who live here.
Dr. James Cooper was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas. He studied at the University of New Mexico and graduated from dental school from the University of Missouri, Kansas City. After 2 years of dental experience with the Army, Dr. Cooper moved to Jacksonville in 1973 to practice dentistry.