Holiday foods are likely to ruin your breath

Christmas is the time to celebrate friends and family, to give gifts and to get bad breath. Here is a list of a few foods and beverages that are almost guaranteed to put a bad smell in your mouth even as they leave a good taste.

Turkey - While not the worst offender, turkey can leave tiny particles between your taste buds, which oral bacteria immediately begin breaking down into putrid organic compounds. Turkey skin may also foul breath by leaving fatty deposits between your teeth. If you don’t clean them away quickly, they begin to decay and give off a rancid aroma.

Finally, a particularly dry slice of turkey can dry your mouth out. The Mayo Clinic reports that without saliva to wash away bacteria, your mouth can breed odor-causing bacteria in short order.

Casseroles - Like turkey skin, thick casseroles leave residue all over your teeth, tongue and throat. Everything from cream, butter and cheese to gravy or grease can stay in your mouth as an almost undetectable film - undetectable, that is, until it begins to smell.

Pecan pie - The sugars from a heavy slice of pecan pie are more than enough to contribute to a little tooth decay, which can be a chronic source of halitosis.

Alcohol - Whether it’s mulled wine, port, eggnog or beer, alcohol can dry out your mouth and leave it primed for bacterial growth. Also, no one likes a face-full of rum breath.

To fully avoid bad holiday breath while not avoiding the foods above, a combination of brushing, flossing and rinsing with specialty breath fresheners may rid your mouth of food particles and neutralize the odors associated with halitosis.