Here's How to Keep Your Breath Fresh During Fasting
At the beginning of fasting, usually we are often hungry eyes, want to eat this eat that. Both at dawn and breaking.
However, you know what? If you eat food carelessly, it will actually make the smell of breath from your mouth even more unpleasant.
According to the UPTD Head of the Cijagra Lama Health Center, drg. Tavip Hariyadi, during the fasting month, the mouth doesn't work actively. It is during these times that more germs and bacteria gather and cause an unpleasant odor from the mouth.
"There are lots of bacteria on the tooth enamel layer. When our mouths are not active, more germs gather and cause more and more plaque too. This is what makes an unpleasant odor emerge from our mouths," explained Tavip to Public Relations of Bandung City, Friday 22 March 2023 .
He explained, at least in a day the teeth must be cleaned twice. First, in the morning after breakfast and before going to bed at night.
"In the month of Ramadan, brush your teeth after dawn. Then before going to bed, after tarawih and dinner, brush your teeth," he said.
Apart from maintaining oral hygiene, Tavip said, it is also important to maintain food intake. Sometimes when fasting people don't really pay attention to what they consume.
"During fasting, we still like to eat foods that contain strong aromas such as petai, jengkol, and onions. These should be reduced or avoided during fasting," he said.
He added, people need to balance food intake according to the nutrition and calories needed.
"Eat lots of vegetables and fruits, as well as adequate protein. You can eat anything else, but just reduce it this Ramadan. Avoid foods that are too pungent or fried," said Tavip.
In addition, if there are residents who have poor dental conditions, immediately consult a dentist. This is because the condition of the teeth that have caries or cavities can be one of the causes for the origin of an unpleasant odor from the mouth.
"You have to pay attention to the treatment. It could be that the bad smell from our mouths is because there are conditions that are not good for our teeth," he said.
Maintaining healthy teeth and mouth is not just by brushing your teeth. He explained, residents can also use antiseptic mouthwash. But you should choose a mouthwash with sufficient levels of antiseptic to maintain cleanliness.
"An example is Betadine mouthwash. This level of antiseptic is according to needs. However, you should not use antiseptic mouthwash often. Because in our mouths there are normal germs that function as the body's defense mechanism," he explained.
Then, maintaining oral health with a tongue cleaner can also be an effort to prevent bad breath during fasting.
"Using a tongue cleaner can also. However, sometimes we want it to be clean, so it's a bit too deep, even stimulated to vomit. We'll worry that it will be cancelled," he said.
"During the month of Ramadan, Bandung residents should clean their teeth properly and correctly, cleaning their tongue is also important, and gargling with an antiseptic. Don't forget to increase consumption of vegetables and fruit," he added. (din)**
Head of the Bandung City Communication and Informatics Agency
Yayan A. Brilyana
