Are You Struggling With Halitosis or Bad Breath?

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  What to Do 
•Brush and floss regularly: This may seem like a no-brainer, but good oral hygiene is key to achieving fresh breath. To further maximize a minty mouth, brush and floss as soon as possible after eating to reduce the amount of bacteria build-up.
• Clean your tongue: Millions of organisms can touch your tongue per day, making it a bacteria bull’s-eye. It’s always a good idea to brush your tongue with a regular toothbrush, but the best way to clean your tongue is with a tongue scraper. Place the scraper as far back on the tongue as you can to remove the most bacteria as possible
• Take your vitamins: Fortunately, vitamins C and D create an unwelcoming atmosphere for bad breath-causing bacteria. Load up on vitamins by taking a daily supplement, or enjoy vitamin-rich foods. Citrus-based fruits are loaded with vitamin C, while milk and other dairy products contain vitamin D.

  What to Avoid
• Foods including garlic, onions and coffee: These foods can affect your breath for up to three days after eating them. After you eat fragrant foods, they are absorbed by your bloodstream, carried to your lungs and released in the form of bad breath. Brushing and mouthwash can only mask the odor for so long. Your bad breath will continue to come back until the food is completely out of your system.
• Smoking: Not only does smoking cause several oral health problems and diseases, but it also makes for wretched breath. Do yourself a favor and nix the nicotine.
• Dry Mouth: Bad breath thrives when you have a dry mouth. Saliva helps wash away bacteria that cause bad breath. Stimulate saliva production by drinking plenty of water or chewing a sugar-free gum.

Original: http://www.deltadentalarblog.com/2014/08/live-every-day-like-its-national-fresh-breath-day/

Keep track of how often you floss with this app

One of the most important things anyone can do to prevent cavities and gum disease is to floss regularly. Flossy, from SlyBits, reminds users to floss each day. This essential step in daily oral care is also the most unpopular and dentists tire of having to remind patients of its importance. Only available on iTunes for Apple users, professionals now have a partner in reminding themselves, their families, and their patients to floss. By pressing the “I Flossed Today!” button each time they floss, they record their flossing history. Users can view how often they did or did not floss as well as the ability to set alarms for different times of the day to send alerts if they have missed a number of days. This app is great for recommending to patients that could add more flossing to their daily regimen. – See more at: http://www.thedentalgeek.com/2014/07/using-apps-to-get-your-patients-to-pract Twohig Dentistry Albuquerque Original article