People generally don’t take the ill effects of bad breath that much seriously. The side effects of bad breath aren’t severe as people think, they are worse! If people with bad breath are in a social group, they probably aren’t aware of their colleagues finding excuse to stay away from them. That bad breath can cost their job, friends, and in some cases affects their relationship.

Sometimes people cannot really distinguish between bad breath as that blends with their body odor and they might adapt to that bad sense of smell. The unfortunate part is that everyone around you including your neighbor’s sense of smell isn’t adaptable to your bad breath and that’s where the main problem begins. The worst part is that the bad smell isn’t something ignorable by others and they might get uncomfortable and start keeping distance from you.

Here are some tips to test your breath and evaluate how bad it is before someone else tells you that.

  • The Tongue: Stick out your tongue and look in the mirror. If it has a white coating that means it has layers of bacteria and debris sticking to it. The tongue is rough in nature providing ideal conditions for bacteria to grow and give an irritating odor. Lick a spoon and dry it and then smell it. If it smells like sulphur then that’s your queue.
  • The Floss: Take a strand of unwaxed dental floss between your molars and slide it gently and take it out. Give it a whiff. If it smells dead fish or rotten egg, you have a conclusion in your hand that your oral hygiene isn’t proper and the plaque is forming including bacteria between your teeth and it isn’t getting cleaned properly. The thicker the plaque, the more bad it will smell.
  • The Saliva: This method isn't much accurate but will definitely give you some idea of extent to which you oral hygiene is compromised. Take out your inner side of your wrist and lick it. If it stinks then you know that’s not good for your impression.
  • The Halimeter: If you want a professional advice on your bad breath then ask your dentist to detect your breath through Halimeter which measure the concentration of sulphur compounds in your mouth. Sulphur is mainly responsible for the bad breath or Halitosis and the Halimeter determines the extent to which your breath stinks.
  • All in all bad breath is result of many bad habits or practices in daily life like smoking, or food high in sulphur. Always rinse and clean mouth after meals and make it a habit to reduce the chances of bad smell. Consult your dentist for a routine checkup and ask for methods of proper brushing techniques and maintain oral hygiene to avoid the unfavorable events because of your stinky breath!