BAD BREATH (HALITOSIS)

It was early Monday morning. The rush to meet up with the morning bus was quite hectic. Just when I had settled down in the bus to catch my breath after the struggle to get a seat, a phone rang out so loudly that everyone turned to the direction of the sound. It was the young man sitting at the front seat. He searched his trouser pocket to get the phone and the moment he said, "Hello", the atmosphere changed. Foul smell everywhere.

I looked around but there was no gutter or heap of rubbish on the road as the vehicle was in motion. Worse still, the breeze from the moving vehicle kept distributing torment coming from a human being's mouth on a Monday morning! But why?
A look at this young man with his mouth closed was one that could make a random girl crush on him. What a disappointment! He looked really good at least  had a glimpse of him just before the bus came. I was even admiring his nice shoes that matched his safari suit. But now this? Every admiration ceased

I was beginning to develop nausea. How long would we have to bear this before we reached our destination. The man who seemed like he did not know the effect of his talking on people in the bus, kept talking. I wondered how the driver was still coping on the steering. The offensive smell made the journey seem like forever. I had to alight at the next junction, a disruption of my journey.

Here now, bad breath (also Halitosis) is an unpleasant smell coming from the mouth. It could be occasional or could be a chronic disorder or condition. Some people with such condition also  have coating on their tongue or foam like substance spilling out from the edges of their mouth.
Please help yourself, mankind and humanity as much as you can by knowing the causes of this situation and the possible solutions which include the following:

1. Oral health: Brush or floss your teeth regularly at least twice a day, every part. Pay particular attention to the tongue. Endeavor to replace your toothbrush every 3 to 4 months, make use of good toothpaste(there are relatively cheaper and good ones). Don't go and buy cheap toothpaste that would leave your mouth worse off; get regular dental check up; seek medical attention. For chewing gum, get the sugar free types. Not every chewing gum is safe for your teeth.
2. Healthy Diet: Some foods such as garlic, onions, spicy foods, fish, coffee can leave lingering smell in the mouth. Some other food may get stuck in the teeth causing odor when they remain there for sometime. Avoid chewing or smoking tobacco, drink lots of water; avoid sugary food/drinks, coffee, alcohol, acidic drinks. Eat food high in fibre and vitamin D. Vitamin D helps to inhibit the growth of bacteria in the mouth.
3. Morning Breath: This is common and understandable but try and brush up at night to reduce it. You can use mouth wash as well.
4. Other causes include: health problems like pneumonia, sore throat, infection, dry mouth, allergies, use of braces, nausea and morning sickness during pregnancy, medications that cause dry mouth. Do not forget to seek medical attention.

Bad breath causes offence a lot and it just baffles one that the ones who have the chronic condition sometimes seem like they are not even aware. For some who are aware, it steals their confidence. This condition causes a strain on relationships and can make you lose on some deals. Sometimes it feels awkward to tell someone, hmmm your mouth dey smell. Even when you try to make it a courteous approach, it still feels awkward. If you can, please encourage the person to seek help or you can provide help too.

In conclusion, from time to time, please do a check on yourself for any sign of bad breath. I remember an ex-colleague who would unashamedly ask me if her mouth was smelling every time we worked together closely. She wanted to make sure she didn't cause any offense whatsoever.

Let's love one another!

LOVE YOU.

Joy@pentolifediary