Bad breath isn't something anyone wants to deal with, either in themselves or in someone else. Despite our desires, however, it really is a fact of life at least occasionally. While some people certainly do suffer from chronic bad breath, most of us don't. Along with basic oral hygiene, I've outlined a few ideas below for people suffering from isolated instances.

I should make it clear, however, that if you do follow the basic oral hygiene below and still suffer from chronic bad breath, you should consult your family doctor. Bad breath can actually be a symptom of many serious illnesses and it's something you should have your doctor explore it. This article is geared towards the average person who just needs the occasional freshening up.

If you're not keeping up on your oral hygiene, then you have no right to complain about your bad breath, so let's start there. At bare minimum, you should be brushing your teeth every morning and every evening. You should probably do more than that, but we'll call this the absolute bottom line. Also, when you brush, you should brush over your tongue as well because it can play host and home to all kinds of little nasties.

Once you've taken care of the bottom line, you need to know that many things throughout the day are going to have an effect on your breath. The most effective (albeit anal-retentive) option is to carry a toothbrush and toothpaste with you at all times. This way, after a drink, snack or cigarette, you can fully brush your teeth.

For most of us, however, we prefer a pocket sized option that doesn't require a quick trip to the bathroom. Generally, the options we have under these criteria are gum, mints and mint-strips.

Gum loses its flavor and effect quickly and the actual act of chewing is generally considered unprofessional, at best, and downright rude, at worst. You also have to make sure that you have ready access to a waste basket and regular gum chewing can make you feel bloated, as you take in quite a bit of air while you chew.

Mints are better as they last longer and don't have the same social stigma, but they can often take quite awhile to dissolve. We can shortcut this by biting through them, but this usually leads to a mint-burst that is downright painful. Also, mints tend to be the highest in calories of our three options, which makes them the least healthy.

Mint strips are my choice as they combine the best of both worlds. They work fast, like gum, but dissolve in an instant unlike mints. They are almost free of calories, require no trashcan and tend to last for a long time. The tiny packaging is the final bonus which steers me towards them.