HOW FRESH IS YOUR BREATH ? - by Emaa Ezeifeka

I’m not even going to lie; the major reason why I take my oral hygiene seriously is because of my mother. I remember clearly because ‘I suffered’. When I got to the age of brushing my teeth by myself, my mum would ask me to go and brush and when I returned from the sink (most likely in 30secs), she would ask me to open my mouth and literally smell it. First few times she would say “Hmmm, this is awful, go back and brush again” and of course I would do that. Guys, imagine “brushing again” 2-3 times in one morning! It wasn’t even funny. I became frustrated and eventually determined to brush well so that I wouldn’t have to do it again. Being told to repeat thesame thing over and over again is incredibly annoying- even worse, when it is implied that your mouth stinks. Now that I think of it, my breath wasn’t smelling badly, she just wanted me to spend more time brushing because if we are being real, 30 seconds is too short to brush. I believe anything under 5 minutes is too short- In the same vein, you can brush for 10 hours and still have bad breath depending on various other things. HERE are 6 items you MUST incorporate into your “care of the mouth” routine to reduce (or eliminate) your chances of bad breath. <ol> <li>WATER. Sounds cliché right? One of the causes of bad breath is “dry mouth”. Saliva cleanses the mouth so when your mouth is dry, it gives way for the buildup of bacteria in the mouth, which produces a foul odor. It is important to drink water as much as possible; it helps your mouth, skin, system and most importantly, if you’re drinking enough water, you’d be too busy to put your nose in the businesses of other people. </li> <li>TOOTH BRUSH. Owning a Toothbrush is supposed to be common knowledge so I won’t really hammer on it. However, I would like to discourage people who use hard toothbrushes from that evil act. Hard tooth brushes cause more harm than good; their inflexibility makes it difficult to go to certain areas and they hurt your gum !. I personally recommend medium for adults. Please throw that hard toothbrush away, even if you’re a cultist. </li> <li>TONGUE SCRAPER. I don’t know why a lot of us (Nigerians) don’t know about tongue scrapers. They are as almost as important as toothbrushes. They were created specifically for the tongue- which by the way is the centre for holding the bacteria which contributes to bad breath. If you were wondering why someone with clean and beautiful teeth has bad breath, chances are they don’t pay much attention to their tongue. There are some toothbrushes which come with a mini tongue scraper behind the bristles. It is important to have a tongue scraper or Atleast a toothbrush with a tongue scraper. </li> <li>MOUTHWASH. A little back story, I remember I once left a guy cause I noticed he hadn’t brushed his teeth and when I reminded him to, he said “I used a mouthwash”. GUYS !!! A mouthwash is NOT a substitute for a toothbrush. That teeth needs brushing. The purpose of the mouth wash is to improve the oral hygiene and I’ll be straight with you… it is not a necessity but trust me, it is very important to use one. It gives a longer lasting minty breath as opposed to a regular toothpaste. </li> <li>DENTAL FLOSS. This tool will go to places the toothbrush cannot reach and remove tiny particles (that have managed to escape the bristles of the toothbrush) from your teeth. It is advised to floss at least once daily. The less particles you eliminate from your teeth, the better your chances of having a fresh breath all day. </li> <li>BREATH MINTS/GUM. This is my favorite part because I’m “best in chewing gum”. Certain kinds of chewing gums and “sweets” made with mint are good for freshening your breath. They contain ingredients that kill odor-causing bacteria. They’re also ideal for after meals, as chewing gum helps to remove food particles and bacteria from your teeth. They help stimulate saliva production, which can help with bad breath and dry mouth. Some of my personal favorite mints are Mentos, tom tom and Vick’s blue (baba blue). Please remember to chew gum responsibly and not like a goat. The goal is to freshen your breath- not constitute nuisance. </li> </ol> It is important to note that there are many factors that can cause bad breath; example, underlying health conditions, food, medications, tobacco, etc. However, we must all do our parts for the good of the general public. You owe it to yourself and your neighbors to have a good oral hygiene. The country is hard enough, no go kill person with mouth odor !

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