IF you’ve got a funny taste in your mouth or you’ve had a pungent meal, you might be worried about bad breath.
Having stinky breath is a common ailment, but sometimes it can be hard to smell on yourself.
GettyBad breath can be annoying, here’s a simple test you can do to detect it[/caption]
Luckily, experts have revealed a simple test you can do which will reveal whether or not your breath is a bit pongy.
Licking the inside of your wrist and sniffing it is a key determiner, experts at the Oral Health Foundation said.
If it smells bad, then you can be pretty sure you have bad breath, they added.
The NHS states that there are various causes of bad breath, including eating or drinking strong-smelling or spicy foods and drinks.
You might also suffer with the condition if you have problems with your teeth or gums.
This can include issues such as gum disease, holes in your teeth or an infection.
Crash dieting and smoking may also have an impact, as will some medical conditions such as tonsillitis, acid reflux and dry mouth, experts state.
Medics at the NHS state that the best way to make sure that you don’t have bad breath is to keep your teeth, tongue and mouth clean.
Here are the eight things you must do to combat the stench:
gently brush your teeth and gums at least twice a day for two minutesuse a fluoride toothpastegently clean your tongue once a day using a tongue scraper or cleanerclean between your teeth with interdental brushes or floss at least once a dayget regular dental check-upskeep dentures clean and remove them at nightuse sugar-free mints or chewing gum after having strong-smelling food and drinkstry using an antibacterial mouthwash or toothpaste.
In order to avoid bad breath and to stop the smell getting worse, the NHS states that you should avoid smoking.
Alongside this, medics state you shouldn’t rinse your mouth with water straight after brushing your teeth and you should also avoiding brushing your teeth so hard that your gums bleed.
You should also avoid having lots of sugary foods and drinks, they added.
When to get help
While you can treat bad breath on your own, if the problem doesn’t get better within a few weeks, you should make an appointment with a dentist.
You should also seek help if you have painful, bleeding or swollen gums.
If you’re an adult and have wobbly teeth or you have toothache or problems with your dentures, you should also book an appointment.
If it’s an emergency then you can call your dentist – as some offer appointments at short notice.
If you don’t have one then you can call 111 who will be able to assist you.
The NHS states that you shouldn’t call a GP as they will not be able to offer emergency or out of hours dental care.