Change Your Breath From Bad to Good Don't let your tongue become a dirty carpet.
Bad breath often strikes when people aren't properly taking care of their oral health. The odor is usually caused by decaying food particles and bacteria in your mouth. That's why brushing and flossing your teeth is so important, but don't forget to gently brush your tongue to get rid of even more bacteria.
Chew gum like it's going out of style.
Believe it or not, saliva is your best weapon against bad breath. That's why dry mouth, often caused by certain medications or medical conditions, leads to odor problems. By washing away food particles and bacteria, saliva helps to eliminate odor, too.
Bad breath is usually caused by oral bacteria. Halitosis is usually caused by anaerobic bacteria that live in a person's mouth. For the majority of people (85 to 90% of those who have bad breath [halitosis]), the single most frequent cause of their breath odor problem is associated with bacteria that live in their mouth. Bacteria, just like humans, go through their lives consuming foods and excreting wastes. The waste products produced by some oral bacteria are sulfur compounds and it is this type of odoriferous waste product that usually lies at the root of a person's breath problems.
Avoid smoking / alcohol / spicy food
Smoking is one of the primary causes of bad breath. When you smoke the chemicals in the smoke create a lining on the tongue which causes a lingering smell of stale tobacco. The only remedy for this is to kick the habit. Watch VJ's "Tops Tips For Giving Up Smoking" for more on this. Dehydration - a common side-effect of drinking alcohol - can make bad breath worse, so if you drink a lot try cutting down your intake. Also avoid foods containing a lot of garlic, onion and strong spices, as the smell of these can linger on your breath.
Bad breath cure
It is obvious from this that there is no one easy bad breath cure, but, interestingly, bad breath remedies used by our grandparents are still very popular and often work quite well, usually by reducing the amount of bacteria in the mouth. One home remedy is to dissolve baking soda in water and wash the tongue with this. Another traditional bad breath cure is to rinse the mouth with lemon juice diluted with water, although this remedy may actually encourage bacteria growth since lemon juice does contain some sugar. Several different herbs are recommended as breath fresheners, among them aniseed, cloves, rosemary and thyme, all of which can be chewed or used as tea when stewed in hot water.
Some of the diseases that cause bad breath are gum diseases, chronic sinus infection, poor digestion and ill working liver, diabetes, and more. One of the most striking causes of bad breath is the growth of odor-causing bacteria in the mouth and the digestive tract.
How can you tell that you have bad breath? If you notice a bitter taste in your mouth, there are chances that you have bad breath. If you breathe out into your hand and then smell it, and it smells bad, you have bad breath. Or you can lick the inside of your wrist and sniff it. If there is a bad odor, then you will know for certain that you have bad breath and that you need to take better care of your oral hygiene.
Bad breath, or halitosis in medical terms, can be treated using a variety of commercial products like mouthwashes. If you don't like the idea of going to the grocery store or pharmacy to purchase your mouthwash, you can try home-made substitutes. All you have to do is combine one part water to one part hydrogen peroxide. Alternatively, you can use baking soda instead of hydrogen peroxide. Both solutions work quite nicely in eliminating halitosis.
Overall, healthy practices can help reduce the risk of having bad breath in the first place. For instance, if you are a smoker, chances are you are already emitting a not-so-fresh smell from your mouth. Quitting smoking will surely freshen your breath as well as improve the condition of your lungs and sinuses. Annual visits to your dentist can prevent the onset of halitosis as well.
Increasing the flow of saliva by chewing sugarless gum and lozenges can help in keeping bad breath at bay. Breath strips and sugarless mints are two other items which can help keep your breath and mouth fresh. These help in saliva production as well. Breath strips can help by going down your esophagus and into your stomach to nip any bad smell problem in the bud.
If you are meeting someone special, it is better to avoid foods with strong smells and aftertastes like onions and garlic to prevent any untoward occurrence of bad breath. You may want to avoid caffeine and alcohol as well, at least on a first date, so that you do not suffer from a bad breath problem. Bad breath affects not only you but the people around you as well. And often people who have bad breath don't even know it.
In case you are one of those who don't know that they have bad breath, you will at least notice that other people avoiding coming near you. If someone makes an excuse not to kiss you, and for no apparently valid reason, you should consider that you may be suffering from bad breath. You must take care of the problem as soon as possible because you will not want to live with such an easily treatable problem, and one which has so many social repercussions.
You can take all the measures to prevent bad breath in the first place -- brush your teeth after every meal, floss and rinse very will. Don't forget to brush your tongue because food particles can get stuck there. Chlorophyll and mint oil are also breath fresheners and these may be included in your toothpaste or mouthwash and also act a natural antibacterial agent.
Avoid breathing through the mouth and also remember to drink lots of water, which will flush your mouth and your digestive system. When you have water, swirl it around your mouth and through your teeth to dislodge any food debris.
Hundreds of different products are available to help eliminate and prevent bad breath. You can either ask your dentist regarding these products or simply go online to search for them. Simply go to any search engine, type in "halitosis products" and you will see thousands upon thousands of online stores where you can buy these products.
Both james sameul & Darren Wumoult are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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