No one wants to have bad breath; however, if you do have this condition it would be better for you to know it as soon as possible – so you can get the solutions needed to combat bad breath problems. It is important to know if you have bad breath symptoms that may actually be signs of something more serious than just neglected oral hygiene practices.

Ways to Determine Presence of Bad Breath

Spoon Method – As the name of the method suggests, this method of determining the presence of bad breath involves the use of a spoon. A clean spoon (free from any odours that can mask the real smell of your breath) should be used, with the concave or hollowed out part inserted into the mouth and placed against the back part of the tongue. Gently scrape that portion of the tongue with the spoon. Check out the material that comes with the scraping method; if the material that comes on the spoon smells bad then your breath is likely to smell bad as well. Others who use the spoon method in determining bad breath allow the spoon to dry for a few minutes, and smell the spoon afterwards.

Saliva Method – This method involves licking the back of your hand, and letting the saliva dry up for a minute or two. Take a whiff of your hand after the saliva has dried – if it smells bad, then you can trust that your breath may not smell good as well.

Plastic Bag Method – You will need a plastic bag for this method. Before blowing into the plastic bag, make sure that both your mouth and nose are involved in the breath-blowing, as there are times when bad breath actually originates from the nose. Blow into the bag, and close it tightly immediately afterwards. Leave the bag sealed for a while, and get ready to smell what the inside smells like after a few minutes have passed.

Lab Rat Method – You will need another willing person to help you with this method. The other person is asked to smell your breath directly; if possible, you can ask him or her to determine if the bad odour comes from your mouth or your nose, as sinus problems can also be a source of bad breath. You may need to have a really good relationship with the other person to be able to ask this favour; otherwise, your friendship or relationship may be in peril afterwards.

Bad breath can be conquered more easily of it is diagnosed properly and in its earliest stages. Making the effort to determine the presence of bad breath will ensure that you are aware of the problem – and will give you the opportunity to tackle the problem once and for all.