We have all been there before, forgetting a toothbrush during a travel or you simply did not have the time to brush your teeth. These habits can eventually cause bad breath or even dental problems.

In instances where you are not able to, there are ways for you to freshen your breath without using a toothbrush.

It is easy to improve your breath and keep your teeth and gums healthy if you know the ways to do it. Try these simple steps to help your mouth feel fresh and clean all the time.

1. Rinse your mouth out with water

Aside from brushing your teeth, you can rinse your teeth and gums with water to get rid of bad breath. The easiest and quickest way to clean your mouth is with a glass of water, just take a sip and gargle. This should loosen up any surface dirt on your teeth and anything that is stuck within the teeth. When you finally spit it out, it should take the plaque with it.

You can also avoid getting bad breath by swishing water around in your mouth after meals. Water can dislodge food particles that are stuck in between your teeth.

You can do this anytime and anywhere. Just make sure to gargle with water at least three times to make sure you got rid of the plaque.

2. Clean your mouth with a paper towel

If you have already washed your mouth with water, but you still do not feel satisfied with its effectiveness, then a paper towel should help you out.

Get a piece of paper towel, wrap it around your finger and simply swipe it up and down your teeth, tongue and gums. It is not as effective as a toothbrush, but it can get rid of some of the reachable plaque in these areas.

3. Moisten your mouth with gums and candies

Another natural way to freshen your breath is to drink water, chew sugarless gum or suck on sugar-free hard candies. You can also try using a humidifier at night to moisten the air in your home. You can acquire bad breath, gum disease and tooth decay if you do not make enough saliva. If your mouth is dry, hydrate by drinking plenty of water during the day. Health experts would advise that you should drink at least 8-10 tall glasses of water every day.

4. Use dental floss

Flossing should be part of your daily dental routine. Dental floss is also an effective way to avoid bad breath.

In the absence of a toothbrush and toothpaste, dental floss is a good option for getting rid of food debris or plaque in between your teeth. You also need to swill water around your mouth after flossing to help dislodge food particles in hard-to-reach areas.

If you don’t floss regularly, the food between your teeth will feed the bacteria in your mouth and as these bacteria get more nutrients, you increase your chances of developing acids in your mouth which will cause bad breath.

If you can, just always keep dental floss handy.

5. Avoid food that causes bad breath

An easy way to keep your breath fresh is to avoid foods that are heavy on onion and garlic, because they often leave an unpleasant smell in your mouth.

The substances that cause the distinct smell of onion and garlic make their way into your bloodstream which travel to your lungs, where you breathe them out.

The best way to avoid getting bad breath from this kind of food? Just don’t eat it, or avoid it before heading to work, a date, or before seeing your friends.

6. Eat healthy foods like vegetables and fruits

If you want to have fresher breath then you should eat more healthy, crunchy food such as fruits and vegetables. The firmness of apples, carrots, celery can remove any food particles caught between your teeth.

These can also rub away plaque and bacteria that get stuck and cause that “fuzzy” feeling when you run your tongue over your teeth. Healthy crunchy foods can act like a natural toothbrush.

Aside from crunchy fruits, you can also chew on some fresh parsley or mint leaves. You can stash these herbs in a sandwich bag and take them to go. The parsley and mint leaves will help freshen your breath with a healthy dose of greens.

This is a great way to freshen your breath because these foods are healthy for you.

7. Increase your probiotics intake

Probiotics can give you the right amount of the good bacteria that you need to break down food. Probiotics decrease the chance of food fermenting in your stomach. They can also help you get all the nutrients out of the food you are eating.

8. Use a tongue scraper

Bacteria can definitely stick to your taste buds, which will cause the release of a waste byproduct in your mouth. Try using a tongue scraper and just clean your tongue with it every day.

9. Rinse your mouth with mouthwash

Aside from swirling water around your mouth, it also helps to gargle a good amount of mouthwash if available. It will help keep your mouth moist and fresh, as the bacteria in your saliva will be washed away, removing the bad odor in your mouth.

It is very easy to find a good and effective mouthwash in pharmacies, so it will not be hard for you to keep your mouth feeling fresh and clean if you don’t have a toothbrush around.

10. Stop smoking

Smoking not only kills you, it can also cause gum disease, which results in bad breath and tooth decay. Smoking dries out your mouth and body tissues. Nicotine narrows your blood vessels and this restricts the flow of healthy saliva in your mouth.

For more dental care and oral hygiene tips, follow Dental Focus on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. For queries and appointments,  please contact us and we will be glad to help you with your dental needs.

Contact Us:

Dental Focus – Dental Clinic in Singapore
www.dentalfocus.com.sg
10 Kaki Bukit Place, #04-00
Singapore 416188
Tel: 6747 0573