Imagine this scenario: You woke up in the arms of your new beau and instead of waking him up lovingly with a morning kiss, he was awakened by your dragon breath. Not cool, yeah?
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Morning breath is as common as the bed-head and it is nothing to be ashamed of. However, if the shift in your oral aroma after sleeping for eight hours is making you nervous when you wake up beside your darling, it is time to take action.
What are the steps we can take to say goodbye to our morning breath?
1. Practice good oral hygiene
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This is almost a no-brainer you should be already doing this. Brush twice a day and don’t skip the floss. Invest in an electric toothbrush for thorough cleaning as it helps to remove plaque more efficiently. Last but not least, remember to choose a good toothpaste that gives you round the clock protection.
2. Do not skip your nightly brush
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The morning brush is for a minty fresh breath for the day ahead. But your night brushing session is equally important because it helps to get rid of the food particles left in your mouth before you go to bed. Without that, bacteria will accumulate in your mouth feeding on the food particles, and you are going to regret it come sunrise.
3. Use mouthwash correctly
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It is good to use a mouthwash in the morning or after a meal for dental health and sweet smelling breath. However, we do recommend skipping the mouthwash at night, because it dries out our mouth (especially those that contains alcohol) and a dry mouth is the main cause of morning breath.
4. Breath through your nose at night
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Morning breath is caused by a lack of saliva in our mouth when we sleep and breathing through your mouth at night will worsen the problem. It can be difficult to control, but do try to breathe through your nose at night to reduce the problem.
5. Reduce coffee and alcohol intake
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Did I just hear screams of protest? Yes, that is hard for most of us (I mean the coffee!) but coffee and alcohol have the same drying effect on our mouth and that results in bad breath. Not buying it? Check your breath in the morning after your Friday night alcohol binge.
6. Reduce intake of garlic and onions
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Garlic and onions have strong smells. The potent sulphur compounds are absorbed into your body and are released as you exhale, causing the bad breath. If you can’t avoid them totally, try to at least take them in moderation.
7. Drink lots of water
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Stay hydrated since bacteria needs a dry mouth to thrive. Drinking water also flushes away food particles and bacteria in our mouth, and not to mention, cleanses our body from the toxin build up. You may want to leave a glass of water by your nightstand to flush your bad breath away the first thing in the morning.
Here are some of our favourite oral care products for good dental health and help us get rid of that morning breath.
Fluocaril Gum Care Toothpaste 100g, $8
Colgate Optic White Toothpaste 100g, $8 - $8.50 each
Sensodyne Repair & Protect Toothpaste 100g, $8.90 - $9.90 each
Darlie All Shiny White Toothpaste 140g, $3.45 each
Oral B Pro-Health 7 Toothbrush, $18.60 each
Guardian Ultra Fine Toothbrush, $6.90 each
Guardian Maxpower Plus Toothbrush, $13.90
Fluocaril 0% Alcohol Mouthwash Double Mint 500ml, $5.90
All products featured can be found at Guardian.
Giveaway
Guardian is giving away one Listerine Total Care Zero Mouthwash (1000ml) which contains 6 benefits in 1 so you can greet your loved one with sweet-smelling breath. Simply share and answer the question in the Facebook post below and 1 lucky reader will stand a chance to win the product. Good luck!