Can Licking the Back of your Hand Really Tell you if your Breath Stinks?

By: Jim McDonald

Your breath could really smell bad and chances are you won't even know. And whether you believe it or not, it is impossible to smell your breath by cupping your hand, expelling into it then smelling. All you are actually doing is smelling your hand. That's because homo-sapiens are structured in a way that makes it impossible to smell your own breath - it is a process referred to as Acclimation. Acclimation is essential, because without this feature, our sense of smell would be permanently clouded by our own odors and scents.

You can smell your breath in a whole different number of ways, and most can be performed at home. The most precise approach of halitosis checking is one that cannot be done at home. You will need to visit a clinic that features in halitosis and oral problems and they will use a Halimeter to gauge the level of sulfides that exist in your mouth.

Why Sulfides? Sulfides are questionably the root cause of bad breath. Everyone has the same bacteria in their mouth, and the bacteria that we have in our mouths need to be there. There is a lot of bacteria in our mouths and the bacteria actually perform the very important job of breaking down proteins in foods we eat, as well as in decaying oral tissue. But for some people, the bacteria reacts in a different way with these proteins and the resultant factor is known as "volatile sulfur compounds" (VSC). These sulfur compounds, also known as Sulfides, produce the odor.

Following are a number of approaches for investigating your breath at home. They are quite easy and in no way are they as compelling as using the Halimeter, but they can give you a very good idea on just how bad your breath is.

If you ask someone you trust to check your breath, you will know very quickly and accurately if your breath is bad. Tell them that you want a 100% honest answer, and get them to check your breath at different times of the day, because there will be some fluctuations.

The cotton gauze test involves you taking a piece of clean cotton gauze, wiping the top of your tongue with it, then checking it for smell and color. If you sense an odor then you're more likely a halitosis sufferer. And, if you notice a yellow/brown discoloration on the gauze, you have surely got a heightened level of sulfides and are very likely to have extreme halitosis.

The next method involve licking the back of your hand to check for bad breath, so you might want to make sure too many people aren't watching - they might think you're crazy. The process is simple - just lick the back of your hand and let it dry for 10-15 seconds - then smell it. If there is an odor present, then you've got halitosis. The justification for this is simple. When you lick the back of your hand, the sulfides travel from your tongue to your hand.

Using dental floss or tape can tell you in a matter of seconds if you have bad breath. In fact, it not only gives you an indication of whether your breath stinks, but it can give you a clear plan on how to dispel the smell too. That is, floss your teeth, paying careful attention to the rear teeth, then smell the floss - if you pull out chunks of food and they smell, then you'll know right away that your breath won't be too radiant, and you will also get a quick awareness of the fact that if you keep on flossing you might just get rid of the halitosis.

The ingenuous tongue-coloration test doesn't really involve smelling anything, but it can give some very good insight into your bad breath problem. All you need to do is stand in front of a mirror and poke your tongue out as far as you comfortably can. What you are looking for is if there is any coloration, like white or yellow/brown, and if there is, then it is conceivable that you have a build-up of sulfides and as a result you'll have halitosis.

As you can see, there are numerous ways to check for bad breath without paying a visit to a bad breath clinic. But you do need to take heed of the fact that these methods in no way compare to the performance of using a specialized tool like a Halimeter. Moreover, Gum, Breath mints, breath strips and mouthwash are NOT the answer. They are just part of a multibillion-dollar-a-year industry which provides a very short 'camouflage' for the real cause. The real answer to solving the bad breath problem is to minimize the concentration of sulfides that exist in your mouth. Do this and people will stop offering you mints and breath strips, and they will possibly be engaged in longer conversations with you.

Niche Article Directory: http://www.thatsmyniche.com

Avoid those awkward situations and find a halitosis cure that works for you. When suffering from chronic bad breath, it will be a serious handicap on your social and business life. Please visit www.badbreath-halitosis.info which is an excellent resource for bad breath information.

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated