You are out on a date, watching a movie, you cuddle up with your sweetheart to whisper sweet nothings and suddenly your date pushes you away and leaves saying “uh, sorry something’s come up”. Ouch! You don’t know what just happened, what went wrong? Well, it could just be your bad breath that your date couldn’t take. Oral hygiene goes a long way, more than just getting you a date! It can save you from social embarrassment.

Few of the basic things obviously involve brushing your teeth twice a day. Brushing before bedtime is in fact more important than brushing your teeth in the morning. This is because we always eat during the course of the day and this tends to leave plaque or tartar if teeth are not cleaned properly.

How we brush our teeth is also very important. When we brush, most of us forget to clean all our teeth, make sure your brush reaches the back of your teeth, also pay attention to the back of your front teeth, they are always ignored. Use an extra strong mint mouth wash after you’ve finished brushing. Also, the toothbrush needs to be changed every two months.

After all meals you should rinse away the left over food particles in your mouth. It is these food particles that get stale in the mouth and cause bad breath. If rinsing is not an option for you, keep some chewing gum with you. There are many brands available today which are good for teeth, don’t go for fancy flavors, but look for the benefits they offer for oral hygiene.

Squeezing some lemon into a glass of water and having this at the end of a meal is also is good way to get rid of any unpleasant food odors from your mouth.

Keep a mouth freshener spray with you. Use this during the day as and when required.

Often bad breath is caused due to a dry mouth. Drink enough water to avoid your mouth from going dry. Chewing on gum is also a way of keeping the mouth hydrated. Try chewing on tangy sour candy as an alternative. Also avoid foods with strong flavors like garlic, onions or other strong spices for a few days.