Your breath could really smell bad and chances are you won't even know. And believe it or not, it is not possible to smell your breath by cupping your hand, exhaling into it then smelling. All you are clearly doing is smelling your hand. This is because homo-sapiens are genetically structured in a way that makes it impossible to smell your own breath - it is a process referred to as Acclimation. Acclimation is mandatory, because without this characteristic, our sense of smell would be permanently sheathed by our own odors and scents.

You can smell your breath in a whole different number of ways, and most can be performed at home. The most accurate approach of bad breath checking is one that can't be done at home. You will need to visit a clinic that features in halitosis and oral problems and they will use a Halimeter to gauge the level of sulfides that reside in your mouth.

Why Sulfides? Sulfides are questionably the root cause of halitosis. Everyone has the same bacteria in their mouth, and the bacteria that we have in our mouths need to be there. These bacteria assist humans in digestion by breaking down proteins found in specific foods, mucous or phlegm, blood, and in diseased or "broken-down" oral tissue. But for some people, the bacteria behaves in a different way with these proteins and the resultant factor is known as "volatile sulfur compounds" (VSC). These sulfur compounds, also known as Sulfides, produce the odor.

Following are a number of practices for examining your breath at home. They are quite ingenuous and in no way are they as effective as using the Halimeter, but they can give you a very good idea on just how bad your breath is.

Asking someone you absolutely trust is by far the quickest and easiest method to check your breath. Tell them that you want a 100% sincere answer, and get them to check your breath at differing times of the day, because there will be some changes.

Next is the cotton gauze test. Take a piece of cotton gauze and wipe the top of your tongue with it. Then you simply smell the gauze. If you sense an odor then you're more likely a halitosis sufferer. And, if you notice a yellow/brown blemish on the gauze, you have undoubtedly got a heightened level of sulfides and are very likely to have extreme bad breath.

Licking the back of your hand sounds like a ludicrous method to check for bad breath, but it definitely gives you some indication of whether or not you are a sufferer. The process is simple - just lick the back of your hand and let it dry for 10-15 seconds - then smell it. If there is an odor present, then you've got halitosis. The answer for this is simple. When you lick the back of your hand, the sulfides travel from your tongue to your hand.

Using dental floss or tape can tell you in a matter of seconds if you have bad breath. In fact, it not only gives you an indication of whether your breath stinks, but it can give you a clear plan on how to exterminate the smell too. That is, floss your teeth, paying notable attention to the rear teeth, then smell the floss - if you pull out chunks of food and they smell, then you'll know right away that your breath won't be too radiant, and you will also get a quick consciousness of the fact that if you keep on flossing you might just get rid of the bad breath.

The fundamental tongue-coloration test doesn't literally involve smelling anything, but it can give some very good insight into your bad breath problem. All you need to do is stand in front of a mirror and poke your tongue out as far as you comfortably can. What you are looking for is if there is any coloration, like white or yellow/brown, and if there is, then it is presumptive that you have a build-up of sulfides and as a result you'll have bad breath.

As you can see, there are numerous ways to check for bad breath without paying a visit to a bad breath clinic. But you do need to take account of the fact that these methods in no way compare to the effectiveness of using a specialized tool like a Halimeter. Additionally, Gum, Breath mints, breath strips and mouthwash are NOT the answer. They are just part of a multibillion-dollar-a-year industry which provides a very short 'facade' for the real cause. The real answer to solving the bad breath problem is to minimize the concentration of sulfides that exist in your mouth. Do this and people will stop offering you mints and breath strips, and they will very likely conduct longer conversations with you.

Avoid those awkward situations and find a halitosis cure that works for you. When suffering from chronic bad breath, it will be a serious handicap on your social and business life. Please visit http://www.badbreath-halitosis.info which is an excellent resource for bad breath information.