There are few things worse than bad breath. Now, you can get rid of it, once and for all.

There is no magic elixir to give your mouth a fresh minty scent, but you'll be relieved to know you don't need to do anything drastic to make sure your breath isn't as powerful as a fire-breathing dragon.

While a mint can only cover up the smell for a finite period of time, there are plenty of other easy and effective ways to get your breath smelling like a dewy rose garden (okay, maybe not that good, but you get the idea).

Make sure you drink a good amount of water, brush and floss after each meal and clean your tongue. Yes, your tongue. When it comes to your diet, avoid the traditional breath killers like garlic and coffee and watch out for wine, spicy foods and tobacco, which can wreak havoc.

And if you don't know if your breath is bad, you can take the drastic measure of breathing on a cat and watching to see if it falls over. For those people not looking to harm animals, though, there is a better approach -- if your tongue is pink and shiny, you're okay. Or, you can try a trick in which you lick a spoon, let it dry and see if that smells.

Now that you know the way to keep your breath in tip-top shape, make sure you go into the world armed with the knowledge your mouth is as ready as you are.

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