After reading all about how to have fresher breath you might now want to know just what you can do to make sure that your breath is the freshest it can be at all times. There is no substitute for speaking directly to your dentist to enlist their help with this problem. There are lots of things that you can do at home yourself to get the process started. Why not try some of these top tips as recommended by Edinburgh Dentist John Booth.

Starting with the obvious.... well we have to really!

1. Daily brushing + flossing of all teeth thoroughly.

2. Mouthwashes - take advice from your dental team as to the most appropriate one

3. Regular dental check ups - untreated decay and gum disease both cause halitosis.

4. Drink plenty of water throughout he day- dehydration can cause halitosis particularly from heat in the workplace, stress or jobs where you have to talk a lot.

5. Cut down on coffee and Alcohol, turn the radiator down, if you have to talk a lot take regular sips of water in between and tell your boss that you need to do less work on your dentists advice (well its worth a try anyway).

6. Use a tongue scraper once per day- you need to really go for the furry bits at the back of your tongue to be effective with this.

7. A Heath Robinson tongue scraper comes in the form of a bent spoon just make sure your work colleagues don't go making tea with it later! (Yuk!) Alternatively specifically designed tongue scrapers are available. Remember this tip is only applicable to adults or children with direct parental supervision

8. Avoid alcohol based mouthwashes and breath freshening sprays, although they make your mouth feel fresh at the time they will actually just dry your mouth more after an hour or so. They do not treat the problem only mask it temporarily.

9. If you have persistent bad breath that does not respond to the tips here seek professional advice from the dentist, hygienist or your doctor.