Unfortunately for those struggling with chronic halitosis, or anyone who simply wants to get rid of foul breath, there are some prevalent misleading myths on the topic.
These myths have been perpetuated for many years throughout our culture, so they can be difficult to dispel, but this blog post series hopes to do just that.
Maybe gargling with potent mouthwash everyday isn't working for your chronic bad breath condition.
The reason why could be our myth #1..
..

1. Myth #1: Mouthwash eliminates severe bad breath
Sometimes, food gets stuck in our teeth and we use mouthwash to break up the bacteria that might form because of it.
After all, many of our dentists told us to use mouthwash to aid in dental health.
Our friends might say "use mouthwash before a date so you have good breath!" And it is true; food frequently becomes stuck between our teeth and that leads to an encrusting of bacteria, which can produce foul-smelling odors as the food decomposes.
Unfortunately, this is something mouthwash cannot fix.
In fact, most mouthwashes will actually exasperate the issue because the alcohol dries out the mouth and then your saliva glands cannot remove pre-existing or newly-forming bacteria.
For dental care, mouthwash is still necessary and should be used - preferably an alcohol free mouthwash that promotes saliva production; however, do not rely on it to be one of your bad breath remedy.

2. Myth #2: If you blow into your hand, you can tell if your breath smells
Cupping your hands and blowing into them to check if you have smelly breath is an extremely ineffective and unreliable way to assess the odor of your breath.
this is because your olfactory sense grows accustomed to the smells immediately nearby the nose, so you simply cannot smell your breath.
A more reliable way to check for bad breath is to lick the back of your hand.
Wait about 15 seconds for it to dry and then smell it.
If it smells strange, you very well may have a breath problem.
Diagnosing bad breath is the first step to cure bad breath and from here, you can find effective solutions to the problem.

3. Myth #3: Chronic bad breath is a hygiene problem
Common bad breath solutions you may hear may sound like "brush and floss your teeth more!" but these sorts of statement are ignorant to the real issue.
The majority of my patients practice very good oral hygiene.
Their chronic halitosis is typically linked to a genetic or physiological issue.

4. Myth #4: Bad breath is caused by certain foods
Now, it is very clear that after consuming some onion or garlic one's breath may temporarily smell like that item and some foods actually produce a strong odor as our bodies break them down, but this is a temporary issue.
When talking about halitosis, or chronic foul breath, certain foods - like garlic or onions - are not the root cause.
Avoiding those foods is not a way to cure the odor for chronic sufferers of halitosis.

5. Myth #5: There is no cure for bad breath
You can cure foul breath and chronic halitosis...
the trick is diagnosing the root cause.
If you suspect that your halitosis is something more than the occasional case of morning breath, I encourage you to seek out treatment at a clinic specializing in halitosis.
If you cannot make it to a physical clinic, there are a number of home treatments for bad breath worth looking into.

Stay tuned for the next blog on the REALITY behind these myths.