Bad breath, or Halitosis to use it’s proper name, is a problem for all of us from time to time. The main way to cure bad breath is to ensure good oral hygiene, but there are other factors to consider, such as diet and hydration, as well as some natural remedies you can try.
Read on to find out how to get rid of bad breath for good!
Steps
1. Clean your whole mouth thoroughly
The main cause of bad breath is bacteria and decomposing food particles (trapped in the spaces between your teeth and on your tongue) breaking down to produce foul smelling volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs). This also causes a build up on your teeth known as plaque. While It’s important to clean your teeth at least twice a day, did you realise that they only represent a quarter of your whole mouth? Brushing alone is not enough to cure smelly breath.
Brushing
Brush your teeth for at least two minutes, twice a day- making sure that you clean the whole of each tooth. For the most effective cleaning and plaque removal use an electric toothbrush but let the brush do the work; don’t press too hard to avoid hurting your gums.
Flossing
If you don’t already floss, then you need to start straight away. Floss every day as part of your oral hygiene routine to remove food debris and plaque from between your teeth. You’ll be amazed at how much gunk you remove as you floss! Just think- how much of this is causing your bad breath?
Clean your tongue
The rough surface of your tongue harbours all kind of smelly nasties so keeping it clean is a vital step on the road to fresh breath. You can simply brush your tongue but to clean it properly you need to invest in a tongue scraper. These are readily available, in fact some toothbrushes now come with a tongue/cheek scraper on the back of the head. Scrape your tongue clean using several strokes from back to front then thoroughly rinse your mouth with water. This will remove the bacterial film and debris that forms on the back of your tongue that causes most foul smells on your breath.
Rinse
When you have brushed, scraped and flossed, rinse your mouth out thoroughly- gargling with fresh clean water is sufficient. You can use mouthwash if you wish, although this only masks breath smells rather than eliminating the causes of halitosis.
2. Keep your mouth moist
Your mouths’ natural defence mechanism against bacteria is saliva. Have you ever wondered why you get morning breath? It’s caused by reduced saliva production while you are asleep.
Saliva washes away food residue and kills bacteria. So it stands to reason that if you have more of it you will have less bacteria build-up in your mouth and have fresher breath. Chewing a sugar free gum is one way to increase saliva production. It’s the chewing action itself rather than the gum that triggers the increase in production, for that reason sucking on a mint doesn’t produce the same results. Choose a gum which contains Xylitol (an antibacterial sugar substitute) for extra bacteria busting effect.
Rinse your mouth with water after meals or sugary foods to wash away bacteria and food debris. You can also do this whenever you think “my breath smells”. It works in the same way as saliva – by washing away the build up of VSC’s on your tongue and around your mouth.
Tip: Gargle with clean water in the morning, rinse and spit. Then have a glass of water to drink. You’ll notice your morning breath is instantly improved!
3. Watch what you eat
The most obvious point here if you’re worried about Halitosis is to avoid pungent smelling foods such as Garlic, Onion coffee etc. Other foods such as eggs, meat, fish and poultry, or sugary foods can also be a cause of bad breath. If you do eat them make sure you brush your teeth and rinse your mouth with water afterwards to reduce the effect on your breath.
There are other diet related causes of bad breath. If you follow a low carb diet such as the Atkins plan, you will most likely experience “Ketone breath” due to the increased level of Ketones your body creates to fuel itself to in place of the normal carbohydrates. Ketones bodies are unpleasant smelling and are released in your mouth when your body is burning mainly fat instead of carbs for fuel. This state is known as Ketosis.
Eating disorders such as Anorexia or fasting for religious reasons can also have a similar effect on the breath for the same physiological reasons.
Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and stay well hydrated by drinking plenty of water. This will help cleanse your system resulting in fresher breath.
Natural remedies for Halitosis include chewing fresh mint leaves, fennel seeds, cinnamon sticks (thought to be anti-bacterial), fresh parsley or basil instead of chewing gum.
4. Visit the Dentist Regularly
This is important not just to check the health of your teeth and gums, but also to advise you on whether you are cleaning your teeth adequately. If there are any underlying dental problems they may be contributing to your bad breath.
5. Other factors to consider
Smoking apart from being very bad for your health makes for very unpleasant smelling breath especially from the point of view of non-smokers. Alcohol can also cause smelly breath so avoid these two activities and smell better! Read How to Stop Smoking for help quitting.
If you have followed all the above steps and still have bad breath you should visit your doctor. There are several medical conditions that can cause foul breath, including Renal disease and Diabetes, so it’s worth getting a check up.
Image credit: Flickr user AlishaV
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