Caring for an Elderly Parent With Special Dental Needs
Dietary Measures To Combat Bad Breath
Joe Lawrence
Few things can kill confidence as quickly and thoroughly as the realization that people are leaning away from your bad breath. Though you may not have thought of it this way, your breath is a part of your health, specifically your oral health. Taking care of your body includes taking care of your breath. While you know that you should regularly brush, floss, and visit your dentist, these measures aren't quite enough for people with more resistant mouth odors.:
What causes bad breath?
Bad breath is not necessarily an indication of a condition, an infection, or even improper hygiene. The things you eat and drink can have a very noticeable effect on your breath.
Though some odors clearly originate from the food you eat, such as onions and garlic, others are much less obvious. Here are lesser known dietary measures you can take to improve your breath.
Do Drink
Water! You may have noticed that your mouth starts to taste and smell funny when you haven't had anything to drink in a while. This is because your saliva does a lot of the work in cleaning out your mouth.
When you are producing less saliva, you have a weaker defense system working to fight back odors. This explains why you often have bad breath when you wake up in the morning.
As you go throughout your day, make an effort to stay hydrated.
Don't Drink
On the opposite end of the spectrum as water, coffee, alcohol, and soda all dry your mouth out. Additionally, sugar helps bacteria reproduce quickly; avoid sugary drinks, including fruit juices with added sugar.
Do Eat
Crunchy fruits and vegetables, including carrots, apples, and celery, clean your teeth and hydrate your mouth as they go. This makes them a perfect end to a meal or a snack for those times when you won't have a chance to brush right afterward.
Fruits and veggies that are high in vitamin C, such as oranges and broccoli, help stave off bacteria and the resulting odors. Various herbs and spices, like parsley, peppermint, and cinnamon, can also fight off odors.
Don't Eat
Think about the way your mouth feels after you eat a food, and how long you carry an aftertaste. If there's a lengthy residual period for a food, it's probably making your breath turn sour. For example, some dairy, such as milk, can coat your mouth and leave a bad taste (and therefore a bad smell). Salty foods like pretzels and peanuts dry out your mouth. And like sugary drinks, sugary foods create a good environment for the bacteria that makes for bad breath.
You don't have to be stuck with bad breath. The simplest of measures can bring about great improvements. Regardless of the causes and intensity of your bad breath, your dentist will be able to offer instructions and advice. If you have any questions about specific foods or drinks in your diet that you feel may be affecting your breath, ask about them at your next appointment.
To learn more, contact a company like Quality Dental Care.
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Caring for an elderly parent tends to be tough enough without the added stress of dealing with dental implants or dentures. But, the prospect is not the end of the world—there are many things you can do to ensure that your parent's dental health is not compromised without having to spend a lot of personal time doing the care yourself. Between working with the right dentist, hiring a service provider for part time work, and giving your parent the tools he or she needs to care for his or her own dental health at home, you'll find that dental health for your loved one isn't so tough or time consuming after all. Hopefully you are able to get the support and information you need right here.