Bad Breath Cures I

Bad Breath Cures I

Halitosis or bad breath occurs when noticeably unpleasant odors are exhaled in breathing. Bad breath can have a significant and negative impact, both personally and socially, on those who suffer from it.  Bad breath (or halitosis) is the name given to unpleasant odours exhaled when breathing.

In most cases, bad breath originates in the mouth itself. The intensity of bad breath can change during the day, as a result of eating certain foods, smoking, alcohol consumption and/or dryness of the mouth. Because saliva flow decreases during the night, bad breath is also common first thing in the morning.

Bad breath can have many causes such as gum disease, tooth decay, poor oral hygiene, smoking, consuming certain food and drinks, infections and gastric reflux. A dental professional can help identify the cause and offer solutions.

1) Brush your teeth:  It sounds simple.  But just brushing your teeth more often will help reduce bad breath.  Not only will the toothpaste often mask odors, but more importantly brushing will remove food particles that are a major cause of bad breath.  Carry a toothbrush to work and brush after lunch or even coffee breaks.  It will help.  Your dentist will thank you too.

2) Brush your tongue:  It sits right in the middle of your mouth and your breath passes right over it. A clean tongue helps keep your breath from picking up any additional odors from small particles that might have lodged on its rough surface. It's not hard, just one more step in the fight against bad breath.  Besides, you're already brushing your teeth regularly, so this won't really take any extra time or effort.

3) Don't eat garlic:  Garlic is one of those foods that tastes much better than it smells. The thing to remember is that if you're going to be enjoying garlic at lunch, everyone else is going to be sharing it that afternoon.  Save your garlic for when you're going out at night and everyone with you is going to be sharing it.  It just works better that way.

4) Avoid onions:  They add flavor to everything they touch, but they can add bad breath
too. The thing to remember is that it's raw onions that make their mark on the local
atmosphere. Cooked onions are much less fragrant, especially on your breath.  So if
you're an onion fan, go for the cooked ones if you can, and don't load up with raw onions
on that sub sandwich you had for lunch.  Your co-workers will thank you.

5) Watch out for cheese:  Cheese is another thing that can add to the air around you.   Generally, the milder the cheese, the lighter the effect, so don't go wild on those blue cheeses with the mold cultures and expect your breath to smell as sweet.  If you're someone whose breath records every cheese they've eaten, save them for when you get home.  Then brush your teeth afterwards.

6) Use mouthwash:  Mouthwash is one of the classic recommendations, and as a temporary fix it can't be beat.  It kills odor-causing bacteria and many of them add a hint of mint.  The only problem is that a lot of mouthwashes have alcohol, which dries the mouth and can bring bad breath back just as quickly as it removed it.  So use it when you need it, but don't rely on it for the entire day.

7) Don't smoke:  This is good advice generally, but stopping smoking will definitely make your breath better.  No cigarettes, no ash breath.  Not only does the smoke itself give you bad breath, but it also adds to dry mouth and that always makes your breath worse.  Smoking is just one of those things everyone is better off avoiding.

8) Don't drink:  Everyone who's ever smelled it knows exactly how bad beer breath smells.  Do yourself and your friends a favor and avoid alcohol if you want to keep your breath fresh.  Among other things, it evaporates a lot faster than water does, so drinking leads to a dry mouth.  The dryer your mouth, the worse your breath.

9) Floss regularly:  Bad breath often results from small particles of food trapped between teeth.  Flossing removes them and helps keep your breath that much fresher.  It also helps with oral health generally, which as a side-effect reduces bad breath, and decreases your dental bills; all of which are worthy goals.  So don't forget to floss.

10) Chew gum:  Chew gum, but make sure it's sugarless.  Chewing gum can help your breath in two ways.  One is that nice minty flavor that masks a mixture of coffee, garlic and cigarette smoke; the more important one is that it keeps your saliva flowing.  Saliva is a good thing because it stops your mouth from drying out, which makes it that much less inviting for bad-breath-causing bacteria.  The sugarless part is to keep a smile on your dentist's face.

11) Breakfast, still the most important meal:  Yes, breakfast helps fight bad breath too.  This meal can do anything.  The way it works is simple, and yes it does require a healthy breakfast, not a cup of coffee and a donut.  If your breakfast contains plenty of roughage it will help clean your tongue.  It's particularly good for cleaning the back of the tongue where you can't get a toothbrush without gagging.

12) Keep your mouth clean:  Another one that seems obvious once you think about it.  Fresh breath comes from a fresh mouth; it's that simple. So don't forget things like brushing your teeth, flossing, and even simply rinsing your mouth with fresh water. They all help.  The less there is in your mouth to produce odors, the better your breath will be.

13) Rinse with hydrogen peroxide:  This first step's important; even though it's already diluted when you buy it, dilute it again.  Mix it half and half with water, then rinse your mouth and spit it out.  It will kill bacteria, and doesn't have as much of a drying effect as alcohol.  Just be careful not to swallow it.

14) Essential oils remove the essence of bad breath:  Put a dab of essential oils on your toothbrush and use that to brush with.  The oils will help counteract some of the bacteria in your mouth and keep them from producing bad breath.  It works very well if you're brushing your teeth with baking soda.

15) Drink Water:  This should go without saying.  Most people should be drinking more water than they do, and a lot less of other beverages.  A lot of bad breath, especially the dreaded "morning breath" is either caused or amplified by a dry mouth.  If you drink lots of water you can keep hydrated, and if you're hydrated it's easier to produce saliva and keep your mouth from drying out.  That will help keep bad breath down.

16) Breathe through your nose:  Nobody likes being called a mouth-breather, but breathing through your nose really does help keep bad breath away.  You lose moisture when you exhale, that's why your breath fogs when it's cold.  If you're breathing from your nose this comes from your nasal passages and up from the lungs.  If you breathe through your mouth, some of that moisture comes from your saliva. This dries out your mouth with predictable results.

17) Go to the dentist:  See your dentist regularly, and not just to get your teeth cleaned.  Tooth decay is a major cause of bad breath.  It's just like having food caught in your teeth:  If something's decaying it normally smells bad, and if it's decaying in your mouth that translates to bad breath.  That applies to both food particles and teeth.   So check with your dentist if you have bad breath.

18) Lozenges:  Suck on some of those sugar-free lozenges they sell in the little tins.  It doesn't matter so much what flavor you get, though mint or cinnamon may help mask any odors.  What helps the most is the increased saliva production that comes from having something in your mouth.  Keeping your mouth from getting dry is one of the most important ways to fight dry mouth.

19) Avoid caffeinated drinks:  Caffeine is a diuretic, so if you drink too much caffeine you'll get dehydrated, which will increase the likelihood of bad breath.  So if you do drink coffee, tea or other such beverages, have a glass of water at the same time.  Also, be aware that adding sugar often masks the dehydrating effect such drinks have on your mouth.  You still get the dry mouth; you just don't feel it as soon.

20) Alcohol has a drying effect:  Anything you put in your mouth that contains alcohol can foster bad breath.  This includes cough syrups, mouthwash, or even alcoholic drinks.  This is because alcohol dries out the tissues in your mouth, making it easier for bad breath to form.  So be aware that just because you don't drink beer, that doesn't mean alcohol can't give you bad breath.