If you have ever smelled rotten eggs, or got an odor from a stink bomb which is a like a foul gas smell, you will know how bad they smell. Both these things smell of sulfur, which smells so bad that it makes a person gag. It is the same smell which emanates from a person who suffers from bad breath and that is what makes it so terrible.

If you have ever tried to give your date a kiss and he or she puts a hand up to protect himself (herself) from your vile breath, you know how that feels. Probably that person did want your kiss, but was put off by your bad breath. What are the ways of fighting this disorder apart from daily brushing and flossing?

The bacterium found in the average mouth accumulates mostly on the person’s tongue towards the back and is one cause of halitosis. The anaerobic bacteria, which feed upon food debris, soon produce what is called Volatile Sulfur Compounds (VSC). These Volatile Sulfur Compounds smell similar to rotten eggs. Bad breath odor can also come from certain foods after they are digested and this odor emanates from the lungs.

In most cases, banishing bad breath means improving oral hygiene; notable exceptions to this are breath problems caused by medical conditions, medications, tobacco usage or dietary habits.

Good oral hygiene starts with brushing your teeth: ‘Back in the day’ our grandparents had a narrow choice of toothbrushes that may have come in different colors but, other than that, were not much different from each other. Over the years, that basic, manual toothbrush has benefited from the experimentation of dentists and scientists and has turned into a tool that brushes teeth more effectively and more easily. Today, the manual toothbrush is still the best selling, most often used toothbrush but it has some stiff, high-tech competition.