You lean over to whisper something to your friend or course mate and you can tell by the look on his/her face that something is up. Could it be your breath?

Fine most of us at a certain time do have bad breathe, especially when we wake up from bed. This is due to the fact that when we sleep our metabolism rate is reduced and so is the saliva formulation which tends to make the mouth dry, and consequently dry mouth induces bacteria growth which feeds on the remnant of foods in our mouth which leads to ejection of offensive odor i.e bad breath (Halitosis)

There are many causes of bad breath which I try to outline few below:

1. Improper way of brushing the mouth or not brushing regularly:

I tagged this the most common reason why people have bad breath, cause if you wash your mouth and teeth properly then why should it ooze? The simple truth is that when you fail to wash your mouth properly yesterday, then today's dirt are accumulated to yesterday's own. Interestingly, severe cases of bad breath never happen in days but takes years (i.e may be when the person is young he/she never brushes properly).

2. Distortion in saliva production or having serious cases of dry mouth:

I must outline here that saliva is the worst enemy of bad breath causing bacteria. If your mouth is well moistened the rate of bacteria operation will be greatly reduced, consequently leading to decrease bad breath

3. Eating lots of junks and not rinsing the mouth after each meal.

4. Talking or opening your mouth in dirty places or dirty toilets and bathrooms.

5. Excessive drinking and smoking.

6. Infection and gum diseases, illnesses like diabetes,chronic bronchitis et cetera.

Now that we have known the causes of bad breath, on to the most important part which is the prevention of bad breath:

1. Washing the mouth daily and properly: in other not to over assume things I have outlined the steps for effective brushing. (i). get a soft, good toothbrush and a toothpaste that contains flouride gel. (ii). brush the nooks and crannies of your mouth thoroughly but gently (because strong wash could irritate your gum) not forgetting the back of the tongue, upper tongue layer, inside and outside of your upper and lower teeth, rear end of the teeth, inner parts of the cheeks, your lips. (iii). then rinse your mouth well. (iv) after that rinse your brush and add a small amount of water in your mouth then brush without paste, do this twice.

2. Rinse your mouth with water after each meal.

3. Floss your mouth atleast twice or thrice every week.

4. For severe cases visit the dentist

So in conclusion am sure you are now aware of the causes and how you can prevent bad breath. And please do note that if your breath stinks , it is solely your fault and you should do something about it or else people will distant themselves from you and will never want to hear you talk.

N.B: when you have a sudden case of bad breath, you can get yourself chewing gum or breath out air from your mouth then moisten your mouth well with saliva . Do this twice.