According to the ADA (American Dental Association) nearly 50% of the U.S. population has bad breath, and of those, 50% have chronic bad breath.  Conventional products often do not fix the issue, and instead mask it for a short time and make it worse in the long run.

There are ways to determine if your breath inspires others to turn their head when you speak, according to DentalTown.com’s guest blogger Carrie Ibbetston from Natural Gumption.

In her blog, she shares an example of an experience with one dental patient and how she handled this delicate subject with him. After delivering a happy ending and slaying the bad breath dragon, she offers advice to the rest of us.

How do you know if you have bad breath?

1. Take a spoon and drag it down your tongue.  Use the edges of the scooping side to collect the bacteria.  Have a look and a smell at that.  It sounds gross, and it may make you want to gag, but it’s the true nitty gritty in what people smell when they talk to you.

Visit Carrie’s blog for another easier – and less gag-inducing test:

• See more at DentalTown.com.