Ways To Keep Your Breath Fresh All Day

1. Eat yogurt!

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So, who knew that one of the best ways to ensure we switch out funky smelling breath to fresh breath would be...yes, you heard it, yoghurt! It reduces a compound that makes our breath smell bad. The best kind of yoghurt for fresh breath is probably plain or Greek yogurt.

2. Drink lots of water

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Have you ever noticed that when you are dehydrated or just haven't been drinking much water your breath starts to smell a little bit whiffy? Drinking water is one of the best and easiest things we can do to make sure that the bacteria in our mouth isn't staying there, growing and starting to smell.

3. Brush your tongue

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Your tongue carries a LOT of bacteria so it's super important not only to brush your teeth but also brush/scrape your tongue. Otherwise, all of that bacteria starts to collect and it starts to smell BAD. You may also notice that it starts to look a yellowy colour too...

4. Carry around breath mints

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Breath mints do not of course stop the real problem of bad breath - but they do mask it well. And sometimes we just feel like we need a quick freshen up before we get in close proximity to someone. Thinking you have bad breath can shatter your confidence, so a breath mint can assure you that you don't need to cover your mouth or try and hold your breath when you get close o somebody.

5. Use a toothpick to get out bits of food after a meal

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So imagine...you've got a big chunk of food stuck in your tooth. You may not be able to see it, maybe you can feel it but it's stuck there hour after hour. There's no way that this can smell good! So, it's definitely not going to do your breath any favours. This is why it's good to use a toothpick after meals.

6. Floss daily

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Flossing is uber important. Not only for our oral health and stopping cavities and gum disease but also for how fresh our breath smells. Bits of bacteria will build up at the bottom of your teeth/gums if you do not floss and it won't remove just by brushing.

7. Use mouthwash in-between washes

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Mouthwash shouldn't actually be used directly after brushing our teeth because it's less powerful than the fluoride in the toothpaste. But what it is good for is rinsing your mouth during the day. You could even take a mini one around with you, to work for example, for a quick freshener.

8. Avoid really strong smelling foods

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So it goes without saying that if you're eating a lot of garlic or raw onion or particular string smelling food, fish for example, you're breath is not going to smell so hot. If you really want to have fresh breath all day then you're probably going to have to avoid anything particularly pungent,

9. Gargle with salt water

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Salt water acts as a natural disinfectant. It's great for washing out any cuts or small infections in your mouth. You could do this once daily to upkeep the health of your mouth. Small cuts or blisters/ulcers in your mouth may actually start to smell if they aren't disinfected.

10. Avoid tobacco

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So, tobacco and smoking is one of the worst things you can do if you want fresh breath all day. It's a substance that particularly aggravates your mouth and it can result in your breath smelling fairly funky. If you are serious about wanting fresh breath, you'll have to give up the cigarettes.

11. Reduce the amount of alcohol you drink

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If you love a glass of wine to to unwind every evening after work...i'm sorry but we've got news for you. This is probably NOT going to help your breath stay fresh. The alcohol, as well as the sugars combined with the bacteria in the mouth and it can start to make your breath smell.

12. Brush twice a day

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Simple but essential: brush twice a day. We all know this, but do we all actually do it? Hopefully yes. Because if you're skipping the morning brush...ew, morning breath! And if you're skipping the night brush you've got all of the bacteria sat on your teeth for hours overnight...

13. Enjoy a cup of coffee!

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Now this may take you by surprise because we've always been told that coffee makes your breath bad. And, while the immediate after effects of coffee breath are slightly pungent, in the long run it may do you a favor! Coffee extract may actually combat the smelly stuff in your mouth and overtime leave you with fresher breath.

14. Make sure you brush for the recommended two minutes each time

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Again, obvious, but do we actually all do it? Statistics show that NO is the answer. People rarely actually brush for the full two minutes, and many actually only brush for around a mere 30 seconds. Who can expect to properly clean their mouth in this time? It's not wonder it smells funky.

15. Avoid sugar

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Sorry people with a sweet tooth, but, bacteria THRIVES off sugar. The more sugar you are putting into your mouth, the more the bacteria will have an environment where it loves to grow. What does this mean for the smell? I'm afraid its not good, because, bacteria in your mouth does smell.

16. Eat citrus

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Citrus is a great way to combat any bad smells in your mouth. Not only does it provide quick relief from bad breath with its fruit citrus smell, but it can also help to tranquilize the smell over time too. So, oranges as a lunchtime snack are definitely recommended.

17. Eat crunchy veggies

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So, crunchy veggies aren't just great for our bodies, it turns out they are good for our breath too. Crunchy/ raw veggies turn up alkaline on the PH scale. An alkaline environment is harder for bacteria to grow, meaning that there's less in the mouth to start smelling!

18. Chew on some Parsley

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Parsley has been historically considered a great remedy for bad breath. This is because it has a very particular scent and flavor which can mask any bad odours in the mouth. But, it is also thought to actually neutralize and quell the bad smell rather than simply covering it up.

19. Check that your mouth is healthy

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There's no way to have fresh smelling breath all day if your mouth isn't healthy. If there's bad things occurring inside your mouth this is going to smell which will work its way out of your mouth causing you to have bad breath. The insides have to be healthy to stay fresh smelling all day.

20. Eat a healthy diet

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If you're eating junk food every day and lots of unhealthy food then it makes sense that you're not going to smell as fresh as someone who has a healthy, balanced diet. This goes for our whole body. The food is internal but the small works its way outwards - particularly through the mouth.

21. Sip some tea

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Good news tea lover - tea is good for your breath! There are compounds within the tea which may help neutralize smelly bacteria in your mouth helping you to smell fresher. And, you're staying hydrated which is also a great way to help your breath smell good.

22. Eat an apple after your meal

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Apples are a brilliant fruit for MANY different reasons. But a more unusual reason that this fruit is favorable, is because the compounds found in an apple can actually help to quell the build up of smelly bacteria. So, it is the perfect snack for after a meal.

23. Breathe through your nose

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Breathing through our mouth day and night can lead to a dry mouth and stale breath...which smells as bad as it sounds. One of the best habits to do to ensure that you don't get stinky breath is to breathe through your nose supposed to through an open mouth.

24. Look after your gut health

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Our gut is responsible for so much. It is believed that 70% of our immune system comes from our gut, and our gut really is responsible for a lot of our general health. And, if we do not have a healthy gut we probably have gross breath. Look after your gut and incorporate probiotics into your diet.

25. Avoid crash diets

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Crash diets can not only be dangerous for your body, but they may also cause bad breath. By cutting out the fat in our diet, our body burns it's own supply of fat which produces something called ketones. These ketones smell and this smell emanates right through our mouth...

26. Gargle water and baking soda

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Water and baking soda essentially just acts as a mouthwash. Some people prefer this method because it cuts out some of the ingredients in mouthwash such as chemicals and alcohol. So, if you're looking for fresh breath all day this is a great alternative to mouthwash.

27. Get regular dental check-ups

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We had to include this point because on of the most important things we can do for our oral hygiene is get dental check ups. The dentist can give us the go ahead that everything is looking okay, or they can give us help or advice on how to improve our oral hygiene which will affect the scent of our breath.

28. Check for tonsil stones

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If you've ever had a tonsil stone you'll know just how extremely gross they smell. And sometimes when our breath smells really bad and we do not know the reason, it is because we have a tonsil stone causing us to have terrible breath, despite brushing our teeth regularly.

29. Use a straw!

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Using a paper or metal straw is a good way to stop getting unnecessary amounts of sugar staying in our mouth and on our teeth. For example, if you have fruit juice or fizzy pop the sugar will stay in your mouth encouraging bacteria to grow. So a straw may help you feel and smell fresher.

30. Check your teeth AND wisdom teeth

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Sometimes we can smell the problem...but we can't SEE it. It may not be the teeth or gums you can see. It could be underneath the surface or it could be at the back of your mouth as many people have difficulty with their wisdom teeth. Check your teeth to ensure you are able to have fresh breath.