You might often wonder how your breath smells, but you can’t always tell whether or not you have bad breath. This is something you should definitely be mindful of it, and there are a few ways to manually assess if it is time to brush your teeth. Unless we’re talking about halitosis, which is chronic bad breath and should send you directly to the dentist or doctor. Try to lick the inside of your wrist, for example, and sniff it afterward. This should give you an idea of how your breath smells.

HEALTH cares about you and wants to show you 8 ways that can indicate your breath is not as fresh as a stick of peppermint gum.

1. Lick the inside of your wrist and smell it.

After you lick the inside of your wrist, wait for 5 to 10 seconds and then sniff it. This should give you an accurate sense of how your breath smells. If you sense a bad odor, it can be because of the sulfur coating from your tongue.

2. Run a finger close to the base of your tongue.

Do it so that your finger touches the back of your mouth. Sometimes, bacteria-covered stones can appear on the tonsils at the back of your throat and they might be the responsible ones for the bad odor. After the saliva dries, smell your finger.

3. Breathe into a clean glass.

Take a clean glass and breathe inside of it. Afterward, put the same glass around your nose and breathe in sharply. The smell you sense should help you assess your own breath. You can also use an odorless plastic bag. Try to find one in your kitchen. Exhale deeply inside of it and afterward take a big sniff.