Banish Bad Breath with These Six Methods
Have you ever smelled rotten eggs? Perhaps as a child, you got a whiff of a stink bomb, which was nothing, more than an odiferous gas that leaked out of a container. What both of these items have in common is sulfur, a foul smelling substance that leaves all those who smell it all but gagging. Would you believe that this same sulfur could be smelled on the breath of those who suffer from bad breath?
Anaerobic bacteria create this sulfur, which simply means organisms that live and thrive in an environment devoid of oxygen. These bacteria feast on food particles left over in the mouth after you enjoy a meal or snack. As they break down the food particles and digest them, they emit sulfur gases, which you exhale every time you breathe or speak. When others smell these gases, they will either step away from you or, those kinder souls who have your well being in mind will quietly let you know that you have bad breath and perhaps even offer you a breath mint. What can you do to rid yourself of this problem? Here are the top six methods to try to banish bad breath.
You may well be brushing your teeth very well, but do you floss as well? The anaerobic bacteria stay in places which may not be within reach of normal brushing. This particularly happens when food particles and debris gets stuck between your teeth. Flossing is of great help here.
Brush your teeth after meals. Ideally, you should brush your teeth after every meal, including snacks. However, this is not feasible for most people so the norm has been to brush once in the morning and once more before bedtime. If you are unable to brush during the day for some reason, make sure that you rinse your mouth well with clean water after eating, even it it’s just a small cupcake or a slice of pizza.
Scrape and brush your tongue. This is quite possibly one of the most overlooked dental hygiene activities. It is, however, proven that the bacteria that break down any food particles left over in your mouth also thrive around the bumps on the back of your tongue. Go ahead and take a teaspoon and turn it over so that the hollow side points to your tongue. Now go ahead and gently scrape the back of your tongue. Chances are that you will see a whitish substance. These are the bacteria that have been thriving in your mouth and that produce the sulfuric bad smell. Regular scraping and brushing of the back of your tongue will greatly cut down on the amount of bacteria that can emit such gas.
Increase your water intake. Saliva flow in the mouth is not always sufficient to keep the malodorous bacteria away. Because of this, it is essential that you supplement this deficiency by increasing your water intake. Ideally, 8 glasses spread throughout the day is enough. However, you may need up to 10 glasses daily if you are taking medications that cause dry mouth.
Choose your mouthwash wisely. Although mouthwashes are manufactured for the primary reason of keeping your breath fresh, some products actually do the opposite, such as the alcohol-based mouthwashes. At first, you will feel a very fresh sensation in your mouth. Eventually though, the alcohol content in the mouthwash will leave your mouth dry, allowing bacteria to thrive. Instead of eliminating the problem, this will then increase the risk of bad breath. When buying your mouthwash or other dental products, choose those that don’t contain alcohol. The same thing can be said for sugary gums. While chewing them, your saliva will flow and drive away the bacteria, which is good. But once you spit out the gum, the sugary residues will be left behind and all the eliminated bacteria will just come back twofold.
If you are a bad breath sufferer, you should keep your dentist’s number handy. Make and keep regular appointments with the dentist, so that you can prevent any further problems which may increase the chances of getting bad breath. And your dentist is the best person who can advise you as to further treatments to get rid of bad breath which will not go away just by brushing, flossing, and scraping.
Try Some of These Natural Remedies for Kiss-Friendly Breath
If you have ever tried to give your date a kiss and he or she puts a hand up to protect himself (herself) from your vile breath, you know how that feels. Probably that person did want your kiss, but was put off by your bad breath. What are the ways of fighting this disorder apart from daily brushing and flossing?
The average mouth is full of bacteria, which is found especially on the tongue because of the way it is; this is one of the causes of bad breath. During and after eating some food debris gets left on the tongue, causing anaerobic bacteria to multiply there. These produce Volatile Sulfur Compounds (VSC) which generate odor smelling of hydrogen sulfide, similar to rotten egg smell. Certain strong foods, after digestion, can also produce odor which makes your exhaled breath small bad.
You can avoid this problem by regularly cleaning the tongue to prevent the growth of odor-causing bacteria. There are special tongue scrapers that you buy for this, but some experts recommend that you simply use a teaspoon for the job.
Another way to solve this problem is by using a mouth oxygenator. There are several variations of this product available all over the country. These products work because the bacteria in the mouth are anaerobic, meaning that they thrive in environments devoid of oxygen. By flushing oxygen into your mouth, a large percentage of these bacteria will die.
Mouthwashes are great for keeping your breath fresh. Many of these are very effective and can give you fresh breath that will last a whole day. The most effective ones are those that contain cetylpyridinium chloride and zinc chloride. Unlike other products that just mask the bad smell with a nice mint flavor, these really help eliminate the bacteria that cause bad breath.
Another great product to help you get closer to that fresh-smelling breath is the water pik. This mechanical item works by spraying the inside of the mouth with a strong but rather pleasant stream of water that will dislodge all trapped food particles between the teeth.
If home remedies are your thing, you can try using baking soda as an alternative treatment for halitosis. The bitter taste of this substance may turn off some people, but baking soda is really quite effective in eliminating smell of bad breath. Besides, many toothpaste brands now offer products that have baking soda as one of their ingredients.
Eating properly will also help to eliminate the noxious odor. Therefore, if you chew on snacks such as fresh vegetables, which are high in acids and fiber that will kill much of the bacteria, as opposed to candy, chips, and cookies this will help to keep plaque from forming. You could also rinse the mouth with mint, or chew parsley or basil leaves. Also to aid in maintaining healthy gums, add citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruit, lemon, lime), guavas or pomegranates in the diet as these fruits contain large quantities of vitamin C. Massaging the gums daily with a mixture of salt, black pepper, turmeric and sesame oil is also beneficial. A tea made of the leaves from Wintergreen makes an effective mouthwash and gargle for the mouth and throat.
Rinsing your mouth after meals is crucial in order to remove the excess food particles that can otherwise attract bacteria. A hydrogen peroxide solution is excellent to use for this because it increases the oxygen in your mouth, effectively killing the anaerobic bacteria lurking at the back of your tongue. However, hydrogen peroxide is not always available, like when you’re eating out. In such cases, gargling with plain water will be sufficient. The flow of water in the mouth will be enough to dislodge most food particles from the mouth.
Because vegetarians do not eat animal protein and fat, their diets are lower in saturated fats and trans fat as also cholesterol. Vegan diets also have a higher fiber component when compared to non-vegetarian diets. This is the reason that vegans and vegetarians are less likely to suffer from bad breath. Since the bad breath causing bacteria live on protein, and vegetarians eat a diet which is higher in fruits and vegetables, they have less chances of developing a chronic bad breath problem than those whose main diet consists of meat and is high protein in nature.
