My grandchildren are my pride and joy. One of the charming things about young children is they’ re painfully honest. Months ago, when reading a story to my 4-year-old granddaughter, she looked away and said that my breath was “stinky.” I didn’t think much of it until it happened again the next week – and it was right after I brushed my teeth.
I’ve always kept up with oral hygiene, so bad breath wasn’t something I worried about. I didn’t notice it myself, but I asked my dentist about it soon after. According to him, bad breath is very common in seniors. A major problem for many of us is that less saliva is produced as we get older, and a number of over-the-counter and prescription medications (another fact of getting older) make that problem much worse. Most of us have to take multiple medications as we age, a cause for a very dry mouth – and very bad breath.
Saliva acts as a natural mouth rinse, clearing away bacteria and food particles. When your mouth is dry, bacteria thrive. Leftover food particles feed bacteria and break down, releasing sulfur as bad breath. Plus, we have receding and bleeding gums, diabetes or other conditions compromising our oral health.
In the past, I’ve used plenty of products that I thought would solve bad breath, but I didn’t understand the real problem – ordinary mouthwashes that claim to kill bacteria and give you “fresh breath” contain alcohol. They temporarily reduce bacteria, but then in an hour or less, your breath stinks again, whether you realize it or not. Plus, the alcohol dries out your mouth even more, worsening bad breath caused from medicines.
My dentist suggested an alcohol-free mouthwash, but that alone wasn’t enough. It was important to me to eliminate bad breath for a full 24 hours and have healthy gums and not gingivitis. I did some research and found SmartMouth Advanced Clinical Formula (Gum & Plaque). Granted, it’s not one of the cheaper brands, but it offered all the benefits I was looking for.
So, there are two separate solutions inside the SmartMouth bottle that don’t come into contact until they are poured down through a dual-pour spout into the cup. There they mix and activate to provide 12 hours without bad breath. I rinse in the morning for all day protection and at night before bedtime for no more morning breath. The taste is pleasant, not overly minty. There’s no burning and no drying of my mouth, but the rinse kills bacteria that cause bleeding gums and gingivitis.
My dentist approves of my healthy gums, and my granddaughter lovingly tells me, “You’re not stinky anymore, Grandma!”
SmartMouth Advanced Clinical Formula (Gum & Plaque) is available at Walgreens, CVS, Target, Rite Aid, Kroger and else- where, and now they have a Dry Mouth formula that eliminates bad breath PLUS provides soothing relief from dry mouth, on the shelves at Albertsons, Kmart and Walmart.
