More often than not, exhaling towards cupped hands would not help you identify if you have foul breath. Wondering why? This is simply because the mouth and the nose are connected in some sort at the back of the mouth. And our noses by nature, have the tendency to filter out the background odors. Thus, we cannot readily discern if our breath smells bad already. It should be cleared though that you are not discouraged to eat or drink diary product but if you have chronic bad breath, try to lessen your intake or better yet, clean your mouth immediately after eating or drinking any dairy product. Coffee is another liquid that can contribute to chronic bad breath. If possible, avoid commercial mouthwash that contains too much alcohol. Alcohol contributes to dry mouth. Dry mouth is where bacteria thrive most and bad breath begins. 4. Visit your dentist to treat oral problems. Bad breath is sometimes caused by plaque and cavities of your teeth. Let your dentist take care of your dentures to remove your tooth decay. Elimination of this film though would not warrant the removal of bad breath but would help relive some of the symptoms. Drying of the mouth is also pointed out regularly s the main reason for bad breath. Anaerobic bacteria, by their nature, can have optimized survival when they are in environments with lesser oxygen level. Then, gurgle with your home made mouthwash for 30 seconds. Do it once in the morning and once before you sleep. Lukewarm water Plain and simple. Gurgle it before you go to bed. Add a pinch of salt if you want to. Sometimes, we often forget that the things we can see around our kitchen are more effective in eliminating bad breath than those that are available commercially. Second, the air you breathe is not similar with the air you release when you talk. This is because bad breath causing bacteria originate from the posterior part of the tongue and only pushed forward once you speak. Thus you can never tell if you have bad breath or not only by smelling your own breath.