In this day and age, people are wearing masks left and right. In some places it’s mandatory and in other places, people do it just to feel safe. Whatever your case is, chances are, you’re probably here because of two things: masks and bad breath.
You might have noticed that when you breathe against your mask, your breath smells and/or tastes pretty rancid and disgusting. Most people are immune to their bad breath, but that’s not exactly the case with masks.
Let’s take a closer look at what causes this…
There are two ways you can breathe – through your mouth and through your nose. Noticing bad breath from wearing a mask is more common in mouth breathers. Basically, breathing through a mask dries your mouth out, which encourages bad bacteria build-up, which can cause bad breath.
On the other hand, you might have just had bad breath already, pre-COVID era. What the mask does is send all your breath toward your nose, similarly if you cupped your hands over your mouth and nose to see if you have bad breath.
There are probably other reasons why you might smell your bad breath from the mask. For me, the reasons vary from morning breath to eating dairy directly before putting the mask on. But the two mentioned in the previous paragraphs are probably what’s causing your bad breath.
Now that we know what’s causing it, how can we solve it?
Four Ways to Treat Your Bad Breath From Wearing A Mask
#1. Practice Good Oral Hygiene
This is the first and most obvious way to treat your bad breath. Brush your teeth, use dental floss, and swish it all around with some non-alcohol mouthwash. Yes, I’m getting specific with the mouthwash; here’s why.
Alcohol dries your mouth out, and, as mentioned earlier, a dry mouth is prime bacteria breeding grounds. Bad bacteria can cause bad breath, which is exactly what we’re trying to avoid.
And while you’re haggling with the toothbrush, make sure to brush your cheeks and tongue to reduce bacteria build-up. You could also use a tongue scraper to do this, but your toothbrush is cheaper.
Really, practicing good oral hygiene is the simplest way to reduce your bad breath. These are habits you should already have in place, and if they aren’t, it makes for a great routine right when you wake up and right before you go to sleep. Start to finish, it shouldn’t take much longer than seven or so minutes to brush, floss, and rinse.
#2. Keep Your Mouth Moist!
One of the things about masks is that they make it hard to eat and drink around other people without taking it off. Staying hydrated is important to me, and sometimes it’s hard to comfortably take my mask off to get a quick sip of water.
Personally, I just carry a water bottle around with me wherever I go. I get that this isn’t feasible for some people, but it works really well for me to be able to quickly moisten my mouth.
So that’s my first (and only) recommendation. Find yourself a trusty water bottle, fill it up, and take it around with you. When you need a drink, stand six feet away from anybody around, scrunch your mask up or down, and take a swig or two. It’s important to keep your mouth moist to stop bacteria build-up, and it is exciting to think about all the bacteria that are being drowned in a flood of water.
Another option is to drink a large glass of water at every meal. This won’t keep your mouth moist throughout the day, especially if you’re wearing a mask for hours straight, but will keep you hydrated.
Something I hear a lot is that water is boring and/or disgusting. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, depending on how you look at it), sugary drinks, coffee, and alcohol can all dry your mouth out. And water can seem bland when you’re used to drinking sodas by the quart full.
I suggest flavoring your water with lemon, ginger, strawberries, or cucumbers. Of course, you’re not limited to these options, but they’re a starting place if you’re interested in flavoring your water. A little bit of zing to water can make it a whole more fun.
#3. Cut Down On Sugar, Caffeine, and Smoking
Yes, I’m no fun. It’s probably not a shock at this point, but all three of those things can cause bacteria and plaque build-up from a dry mouth, which fits right into our bad breath conundrum.
And, to be honest, none of those things are good for you anyways, so it’s always a huge plus to improve your overall health.
There are a couple of ways you can cut down on sugar. I’d start with replacing it with sweet fruit like apples, bananas, and watermelon. Also, sometimes we reach for food when we’re actually thirsty, so maybe feeling hungry is a sign that you need water.
I’m not a smoker or caffeine person, so I don’t really have any advice on how to stop using those two things, both of which can be very addicting. You could try and wean yourself off it, or just cutting back so you aren’t consuming it as much.
#4. Breathe Through Your Nose
If you typically breathe through your mouth, just breathe through your nose. It’s cheap, simple, and easy once you get the hang of it. You don’t need cut back on sugar, and, in theory, your mouth might stay somewhat moist, so no need to drink extra water!
You Don’t Need To Suffer Through Bad Breath
If you’re ready to be gone with your bad breath, then I have the resource you need to completely get rid of it. Bad Breath Free Forever is designed to take care of bad breath and was made by someone’s who’s been there and done that.
James, the creator, has dealt with bad breath personally and knows what it feels like to be humiliated by it. In response, he searched for an effective treatment, and, upon discovering it, is ready to share it with the world.
Not only will you learn the way to treat your bad breath, you’ll find out how to make sure it never comes back, through lists of foods you should avoid, foods you should eat, and much more.
What are you waiting for? Check out Bad Breath Free Forever to completely combat your bad breath so you can breathe through your mask and know that your breath is fresh.