Having a bad breath can put you in a lot of embarrassment in public. You are most likely having a bad breath because odor causing bacterias are infesting your tongue, tooth, and gums. But luckily there are natural and instant remedies available to stop the growth of these bacterias and transform your bad breath to good.
Why bad breath?
Are people afraid to come near you or in the worst case scenario has someone openly told you that you are having a bad breath? Are you wondering what might be the reason behind it? So why are you having that unpleasant odor coming from your mouth irrespective of brushing your teeth regularly? There are many reasons for as to why you might be having a bad breath. Some of it includes eating odor-causing foods like garlic, onions, blue cheese, smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, abscessed tooth, and due to infections in internal organs. Before proceeding with the remedies you need to find out the real reason behind your bad breath.
Instant Remedies
- Bad odor causing bacterias thrive in dry mouth. If you are having a bad breath then the instant remedy would be to swish some water in your mouth and spit it out. This will temporarily get rid of the bacterias and make your breath little more agreeable.
- Parsley which is usually used for garnishing is often left uneaten on the plate. Parsley has chemicals that fight odor and germs in your mouth, so after the end of each meal, much on some of those parsley leaves and even better much on the sprig of parsley.
- Eat some orange. Orange has a pleasant smell plus its citric acid content triggers the salivary gland which suppresses any bad odor you might have in your mouth for a while.
- If you cannot find orange anywhere in sight, then eat whatever that is edible available in the place. Eating will stimulate your salivary glands and more saliva means you do not have that dry mouth that causes bad breath.
- Most odor causing bacterias thrive on your tongue, this makes your tongue look coated. These bacterias will ferment proteins and releases gas that causes odor and discourages the fresh feeling in your mouth. Scrape off this coating with your teeth vigorously, swish around some fresh water and spit it out. Also, make sure to drink some water after you are done with the scraping.
- If you feel little uncomfortable using your teeth for the scraping process, then you can make use of a spoon and scrape off all the sides of the tongue completely.
Spices to the rescue
Cloves are not just effective with toothaches, they are equally effective in fighting bad breath. Cloves have the chemical substance called eugenol which is anti-bacterial in nature so it fights the bad odor causing bacterias. Just put in a clove and chew it, make sure you move it all around your mouth and not keeping it in one place as it can induce numbness. Do this for a minute or two before spitting it out.
Anise Seeds: It has the anti-bacterial property that inhibits the bacterial growth in your mouth. Chew on to some anise seeds once or twice a day.
Fennel Seeds are commonly served in non-vegetarian Indian restaurants after food because it makes your mouth feel fresh and removes any bad odor from the food that surrounds your mouth. Just chew on to a teaspoon of fennel seeds after every meal.
Cinnamon stick has natural anti-bacterial and anti-septic property just like cloves and it is very good for fighting bad odor. Such on a small cinnamon stick till you feel conformable with your breath.
When to Seek a Doctor?
If you still find your bad breath still lingering on and doesn’t go away even after regular brushing and flossing your teeth, then it could be a sign of a problem with any of your internal organs like lungs, liver, intestines, and kidneys. Approach a Dentist or a Doctor to find out the real reason behind your bad breath.
Choosing Your Mouth Freshener
Most products that are advertised on TV and on the internet are least effective when it comes to fighting bad breath in the long run. Next time when you are out to buy a mouth freshener look for the ones with chlorine dioxide as it is very effective in fighting against sulfur compounds that play a vital role in bad breath. Many Doctors recommend using TheraBreath and ProFresh which are both available online and at your local drugstores.
While choosing your toothpaste look for the one that contains tea-tree oil that fights against bad odor causing bacterias.
How to Prevent?
- Get an oral irrigator if you are not using it already. It is more effective in flushing out the food remains and other wastes stuck between your teeth and at places where your toothbrush and floss thread cannot reach. In the process, it also flushes out the bacterias.
- When you do not rinse your mouth properly after every meal it can lead to plaque formation, a thin soft and sticky coating that covers your teeth. So always take a little extra time to rinse your mouth with water after every meal or even better, brush your teeth.
- Unhygienically maintained toothbrush equally plays a big role in bad breath. Always wash it thoroughly before and after using it. Place it upside down with its bristles dipped in a solution of hydrogen peroxide when it is not in use.
- If you use dentures then ensure that it is properly soaked in antiseptic solution every night before you head to sleep. Unhygienic dentures can lead to severe mouth odor.
- Keep yourself hydrated and do not skip your meals. Avoid drying down your mouth as much as possible. Dry mouth is a heaven for bacterias to thrive and multiply.
- Bacterias are not the sole reason for bad breath, there are other reasons like alcohol, smoking cigarettes, and eating foods like garlic, onions, blue cheese etc. So quit smoking and drinking alcohol. Rinse your mouth properly after every meal.
- There are certain drugs and medications that can dry down your mouth leading to bad mouth odor. So ask your Doctor if your medications are playing a role in your bad breath. Over the counter antihistamines, decongestants, and diet pills are common medications that can drain down the saliva in your mouth.
Watch out for minty mouthwash
There are numerous mouthwashes in the market that uses mint flavor and many people believe that mint flavored mouthwash helps to fight bad breath more effectively. This is the wrong idea, most of these mouthwashes use alcohol as its main ingredient. Alcohol is well known to dry up your mouth off saliva and sugar content in the mint will make the bacterias thrive and multiply. Though these mouthwashes make you feel better for few minutes after use, in the long run, its effects just start to reverse.
The best option for you would be to make your own mouthwash at home, which is quite easy. Mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda with 1 cup of 2% to 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide and mix it well. Use this solution to rinse your mouth after brushing your teeth. This flavorless mouthwash is more effective in fighting against the bacterias.