DTF = Down to floss?

Brittney Duong
Apr 25, 2019
3 min read

Updated: May 7, 2019

We all love a good Tinder horror story, but how many of them end with dental care advice?

Tinder @ UCSB

UCSB has a thriving hookup culture, from friends with benefits to one night stands, we have it all. Tinder makes it so easy to be a part of this culture. "Match. Chat. Date." is what they claim. But is it that easy?

The match part is hard enough. Chat is more like rejecting extremely inappropriate comments. Date? Do those ever end well? I can't say my Tinder experience has been successful, but I did gain one thing from Tinder, a story and a lesson for you all. We all have a Tinder horror story. Right?

A BOY WITH BAD BREATH

My Tinder horror story involves a cute boy with bad breath. We matched and started chatting for hours at a time. A week went by and he finally asked to meet up for lunch. I suggested Hana Kitchen (a public location, just in case he was one of those Tinder murderers, always be safe than sorry).

Well, there I was sitting in front of Hana and he walks up. I was relieved he actually looked like his Tinder photos. He isn't a catfish and he isn't going to murder me (I think), but of course this situation was just too good to be true.

I introduced myself and when opened his mouth to say his "it's nice to finally meet you", I smelled it - HIS BREATH. I forced a smile as we got in line to order. He ordered a chicken bowl, no vegetables. I ordered a chicken bowl and a strawberry tea with boba. As he paid, I saw the face on the cashier, she also smelled his breath. We grabbed our food and sat outside. I didn't talk much because I was holding my breath most of the time. Once in a while, gust of wind would blow the smell away.

At the end of our meal, we parted ways and promised to text each other. I had my fingers crossed. Sadly, it could have been a great date if he would have just brushed his teeth beforehand...

What causes bad breath?

Halitosis, also known as bad breath, is caused by poor dental hygiene, dry mouth, and bacteria build up.

"Bacteria produces volatile compounds that smell unpleasant, including hydrogen sulphide, methyl mercaptan and dimethyl sulphide." -Dr Nao Suzuki from Fukuoka Dental College in Fukuoka

When you don't take the time to properly clean your teeth, such as brush and floss, food particles get left behind and this causes plaque, a film of bacteria, to grow and coat your teeth! If this plaque isn't brushed away, it can affect your gums, in between your teeth, and your tongue. It plaque isn't taken care of it can even lead to periodontal disease, a serious gum infection that damages gums and can destroy the jawbone.

Why does our breath smell in the mornings? Dry mouth. Saliva actually prevents bad breath by neutralizing acids produced by plaque, and wash away dead cells that accumulate on the tongue, gums, and cheeks. Antibacterial mouthwash also helps kill bacteria and freshen your breath. Chewing gum can stimulate more saliva flow, and therefore freshen breath. There are a lot of things that can cause dry mouth, such as sleeping with your mouth open, smoking, dry foods, and hot weather.

Tip: Gum and mouthwash are only temporary solutions for bad breath.

More serious conditions that can cause bad breath are stomach ulcers, gastrointestinal diseases, and stomach cancer.

how you can prevent bad breath

Halitosis is a very common condition and there are so many ways to prevent it.

HYDRATE
BRUSH YOUR TEETH
SCRAPE YOUR TONGUE
FLOSS
SMOKE LESS

If you try to complete these steps everyday, you'll always have fresh breath. Just brushing your teeth isn't enough to prevent bad breath. A combination of these will be your best bet.

BAD BREATH IS A DEAL BREAKER

Is it just me? Or is bad breath a deal breaker for you too? Bad breath ruins everything. I'm so focused on holding my breath that I'm not paying attention to the words they say.

Bad breath causes embarrassment and makes around you uncomfortable. You don't want that do you? Take my advice on how to prevent bad breath. Bad breath isn't going to kill you, but it indicates bad hygiene. Preventing bad breath will make you more confident and it will improve the health of your mouth!