Find Out If You Have Bad Breath

by: Sian Murphy

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Date: Fri, 19 Feb 2010 Time: 11:06 PM - 0 comments

Bad breath is simply an unpleasant odor that usually comes from the mouth, but it can also arise from the nasal passages. When people exhale, the odor comes out.

It can be an indication of health problems, related to your diet, linked to your eating and lifestyle, and is both a health and social issue. I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that smelly breath is a turn off in most social situations; that most people will get it at some point in their life and that many of us worry about having bad breath at some time.

When the condition becomes chronic then it is usually referred to as Halitosis.

Instead of worrying unecessarily and hunting around for a cure, wouldn't it be better to find out whether or not you actually have bad breath? Here are some ways that you can do this:

This is about the easiest way for you to find out if you have bad breath. Breathe on the back of your hands. You will automatically smell the odor as it comes out of your mouth. This can determine how your breath really smells.

Did you know that saliva has an odor? Well, if you didn't, you do now. You hope that when you conduct this test that your breath will not have a foul odor. To do this, you will slightly lick your wrist or the back of your hand.

Give it a few seconds and then take a whiff. If you don't smell anything, then you should be ok. If you do, check with your dentist and get help.

You can use a spoon or a tongue scraper to test your breath. Scrape your tongue at the front and back. Do each area one at a time. Smell the area in question on the spoon or the scraper and see how it smells. If it is a foul smell, then you may have chronic bad breath (halitosis).

Check to see if you have any black spots on your teeth. If you do, it could be a sign that you may have bad breath. You may end up having tooth and gum problems that could also lead to bad breath due to bacteria that has formed.

Consult with your dentist to provide treatment to those areas that are affected so you can head off a potential bout of bad breath.

With this simple test to tell if you have bad breath, you should now be certain if you need to find a cure for your bad breath of if you can breath easy.