How to Prevent Bad Breath During Fasting

April 18, 2023By Nona Woman

Experiencing bad breath while fasting is actually normal. However, bad breath can make a person feel less confident. Therefore, not a few people are looking for ways to solve this problem. To make it clearer, the following will explain some tips that can help overcome bad breath while fasting.

Causes of Bad Breath During Fasting

Fasting is a time when a person refrains from eating and drinking from dawn until dusk. In this regard, fasting requires a person to resist hunger and thirst for hours.

However, many people experience bad breath problems while fasting. Why can this happen? This happens because the mouth becomes dry due to reduced saliva production. Because saliva has an important role in cleaning food debris and inhibiting the growth of bacteria in the mouth. So, with reduced saliva production, it can trigger the growth of bacteria and cause bad breath.

How to Prevent Bad Breath while Fasting

In order to avoid the problem of bad breath when fasting, there are several ways you can do it. Among them are:

Brush Teeth Routinely
To get rid of bad breath during fasting, one of the most effective ways is to brush your teeth regularly. This condition occurs due to food debris stuck in the mouth. In order to overcome it, you are advised to brush your teeth regularly after breaking the fast and dawn.

You can also brush your teeth during the day, but make sure you don't swallow the toothpaste and water. It is important to apply the correct way of brushing your teeth by using a toothbrush that can reach all parts of the mouth, including between the teeth.
Avoid Sweet Foods at Iftar or Sahur
Sweet foods consumed at breaking or dawn can cause unwanted bad breath. This is because food and drinks that contain lots of sugar have greater potential to trigger the growth of bacteria that cause bad breath, especially if you don't brush your teeth and rinse your mouth after eating.

In addition, eating foods with strong odors such as petai, jengkol, and onions at dawn can also cause bad breath during fasting.
Meet Sufficient Liquid Needs During Iftar and Sahur
In order to avoid bad breath while fasting, you need to meet your daily fluid needs. This will help increase saliva production so that the smell doesn't sting. Even though you are fasting, don't forget to consume at least 2 liters of water per day.

There is a practical method that you can try, namely 2-4-2, which is to drink 2 glasses of water when breaking your fast, 4 glasses of water after breaking your fast until dawn, and 2 glasses at dawn.
Use Mouthwash
To make your breath feel fresh and bad breath disappear, you should rinse your mouth with a mouthwash that can kill bacteria in your mouth. Choose the right type of mouthwash to get maximum results.

By using the right mouthwash, the bacteria that cause bad breath can be controlled so that the process of decomposing food scraps by bacteria can be prevented. Even though fasting, gargling is still allowed, don't do it excessively. Also make sure that the mouthwash is not swallowed while rinsing so that it does not cause other health problems.

If you experience bad breath problems that persist even though you have tried various methods, you should consult a dentist. There may be problems with the teeth that are the cause of bad breath, such as cavities, plaque, or tartar. Therefore, it is advisable to carry out regular dental and oral examinations to the dentist, at least once every 6 months.