Home » Health & Wellness  » Health Tips for Women »  Dental hygiene Dental care is a vital part of personal hygiene. You just cannot afford to neglect it. All it needs is regular care and caution. Halitosis or bad breath can be embarrassing and could cause social and psychological problems. It can even affect marriages.

Remember, lack of dental hygiene will not only wreck your personal life, it could tell on your health too.

Bacteria that live on teeth and gums are the prime cause of bad breath. We need to take extra care and make sure that these bacteria are eliminated regularly and effectively.

Here are a few simple but effective ways to keep your breath clean and fresh.

• Brush your teeth well. Ideally, it takes two to three minutes to brush your teeth well. But most people seem to finish brushing their teeth in less than a minute. That won't be too effective.
• Drink plenty of water. Bad breath is accentuated by dryness of the mouth. It helps bacteria flourish. Drinking a lot of water not only helps washing away left over food particles, it also stimulates saliva flow. Saliva plays a vital part in keeping the mouth clean and dissolving the compounds that could cause halitosis.
• Chew sugarless gum. This will help clean teeth and also stimulate the flow of saliva. Gum with sugar is not considered healthy and is therefore not recommended by dentists.
• Check for dental problems. This could cause bad breath too. These problems are easily solved by a visit to the dentist. A dental check up is necessary at least once a year.
• Inter dental cleaning is very important. Flossing is a must. It helps removing plaque from between our teeth and under our gums.
• Rinse well after every meal - don't depend solely on mouth fresheners. Whenever possible, try to rinse with warm water and salt.
• Add a few drops of lime juice to a teaspoon of salt. Brush your teeth with it once a week. It will add a shine to your teeth besides keeping your breath clean.

Your dental hygiene speaks volumes about your personality!