Do You Know What Causes Bad Breath?
Eating more apples and oranges can improve your breath.
True
False
Eating more apples and oranges can improve your breath.
Eating more fruits and vegetables may decrease bad breath. Fruits and vegetables contain a lot of water, which can help keep your mouth moist. Saliva is nature's way of keeping your breath fresh.
Halitosis is:
A blood disease
The medical name for bad breath
A skin rash
An eye disorder
Halitosis is:
If you have a chronic problem with bad breath -- are a lot of people mentioning it to you lately? -- it might be time for a trip to your dentist.
Garlic can make your breath smell bad even after you’ve brushed your teeth and rinsed with mouthwash.
True
False
Garlic can make your breath smell bad even after you’ve brushed your teeth and rinsed with mouthwash.
After being digested, a smelly substance in garlic is absorbed into your bloodstream and then transferred to your lungs, where it is expelled as a gas -- making your breath smell! Brushing your teeth and rinsing with mouthwash only temporarily hide the odor.
What ingredient in green tea shows promise as a treatment for bad breath?
Caffeine
Polyphenol antioxidants
Vitamin C
Purified water
What ingredient in green tea shows promise as a treatment for bad breath?
There’s growing evidence that the polyphenols in green tea can protect drinkers against cavities and bad breath.
How long a piece of dental floss should you use?
6 inches
10 inches
12 inches
18 inches
How long a piece of dental floss should you use?
The American Dental Association recommends using 18 inches of floss, wound around one of your middle fingers, with the rest wound around the middle finger of your other hand, to best floss your teeth.
If I have bad breath, my child is more likely to have bad breath, too.
True
False
If I have bad breath, my child is more likely to have bad breath, too.
Children are not more likely to have bad breath if their mothers had bad breath, according to a study in the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry journal. On the other hand, there was a clear connection between frequent tooth-brushing and reduced breath levels of smelly gases called volatile sulfur compounds.
If you brush, floss, and rinse every day, you probably won't have bad breath.
True
False
If you brush, floss, and rinse every day, you probably won't have bad breath.
Bad breath can be a symptom of a medical condition, including a respiratory infection, diabetes, or liver or kidney disease. If your dentist looks at your mouth and your bad breath isn’t coming from a problem with your teeth or gums, you might have to see your doctor about one of these or some other medical condition.
Eating hamburgers and steak can worsen your breath.
True
False
Eating hamburgers and steak can worsen your breath.
Eating red meat can worsen your breath; eating less meat may improve your breath. The decay of the leftover bits of proteins in meats and cheese can create odors in your breath.
You don’t need to clean a baby’s teeth.
True
False
You don’t need to clean a baby’s teeth.
A cavity can develop in even the smallest and newest teeth. Infant gums can be cleaned with a soft cloth. When the first teeth appear, clean them with an infant toothbrush and children’s toothpaste.
The amount of saliva your mouth makes:
Is based on the number of teeth you have
Can affect your breath
Decreases when you're at a great pizzeria
The amount of saliva your mouth makes:
Normally, saliva washes particles of food out of your mouth, so people with dry mouth may have bad breath because they still have food particles stuck in there. The medical name for dry mouth is xerostomia.
Some medications can make your breath stink.
True
False
Some medications can make your breath stink.
About 400 prescription drugs and some over-the-counter meds cause dry mouth. The lower amount of saliva contributes to an overgrowth of bacteria, which can produce an unpleasant breath smell.
You may have bad breath if you have trouble with your:
Trachea
Tonsils
Uvula
You may have bad breath if you have trouble with your:
Bad breath, a sore throat, trouble swallowing, and fever are all symptoms of tonsillitis, an infection of the tonsils (the oval-shaped nubs of pink tissue on each side of the back of your throat).
Debris caught in your tonsils also can be a factor in bad breath. So can those smelly gray or yellowish deposits, called tonsilloliths or tonsil stones. Gargling may help ease the problem.
After flossing, it’s important to:
Swallow
Rinse
Blot with a tissue
Check teeth with a mirror
After flossing, it’s important to:
Rinsing after flossing helps remove the debris loosened by the floss. Rinse with an antiseptic mouthwash to help kill bacteria that cause bad breath.
Could someone with dentures get bad breath?
Yes
No
Could someone with dentures get bad breath?
Even though they're not "real teeth," they can harbor bacteria and food particles, which cause bad breath. If you can remove your dentures, brush them and soak in a disinfecting solution overnight.
Bad breath you can't get rid of and gums that bleed easily are symptoms of:
High blood pressure
Irritable bowel syndrome
Periodontal disease
Heart disease
Bad breath you can't get rid of and gums that bleed easily are symptoms of:
Mild gum disease, or gingivitis, can give you red, irritated gums and smelly breath. It's easy to fix this early condition with a cleaning at your dentist and better daily care at home.
If the infection gets worse, gums can pull away from your teeth. In the most advanced stage, the bone that anchors your teeth breaks down.
When you have bad breath, keep a log of what you eat because:
Because the American Dental Association says so
You might be gaining weight
It may give your dentist a clue
When you have bad breath, keep a log of what you eat because:
Maybe pastrami is your problem, or that expensive cheese you like. In any case, a log of what you're eating can help your dentist figure out what’s going on.