If you just noticed your breath is less than fresh, you will most likely want to try to mask any odor before someone you come into contact with smells it themselves. Bad breath is a problem many people come across at one time or another due to their oral hygiene habits, food that was just eaten, or even as a result of an illness. Here are a few ways you can combat bad breath on the sly to help keep it under wraps until you can get yourself to a toothbrush and toothpaste.
Eat Something Quickly
When you have not eaten in a while, the acids in your stomach can make you feel gassy. Any belching or burping that you do as a result of the uneasiness of an empty stomach can lead to bad breath. Filling your stomach with something for the acids to work at digesting will help keep your breath fresher as there will no longer be gases emitted into your mouth.
Grab a quick snack, but stay away from smelly foods that could make bad breath worse like cheese, garlic, or onions. Citrus or green vegetables work great at eliminating odor while giving your stomach some sustenance.
Drink A Glass Of Water
Water will help eliminate the bacteria from the surfaces of your teeth and tongue. Grab a bottle of water, take it outdoors away from a crowd and swish some around in your mouth in the same manner you would use mouthwash. Spit this out and repeat. Afterwards, drink some of the water to help clear your mouth of odor.
Head Into A Kitchen
If you are in an area where you have access to a kitchen, do a quick search of the spice rack for a pinch of a spice that helps take away odor. Coriander, cloves, anise seed and cinnamon are all breath-freshening spices that can be placed in the mouth to help eliminate odor. Suck on one of these spices for a few minutes, and discreetly spit into a trash can or outdoors when you have the essence of the spice in your mouth covering up the odor as a result.
Be A Bit Sly
If you are away from any food or water, you will need to get creative in how you hide your bad breath from others. Inform others you are not feeling quite so well so you suggest they do not get too close. Pretend to sneeze into a handkerchief and hold it over your mouth as someone comes near. Consider walking away from people for a minute and scrape your tongue with a hard object like a spoon or credit card to remove bacteria from the mouth. Each of these methods would hide odor in a pinch.
If bad breath is becoming a frequent issue for you, an underlying dental problem may be to blame. Contact a dentist, like those at Associated Family Dentistry LTD, to get to the bottom of any issues.
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