Obviously, mints, gum, sprays, and mouthwashes are poor cover-ups for bad breath, although people in American alone purchased over 1 billion dollars worth of them last year.

Even if you are using an antibacterial mouth-wash, the bacteria are comfortable lurking in the safety under the coating of the tongue. All of the mouthwashes currently available over the counter add to the "compost pile" on the tongue, instead of reducing it.

Antibacterial washes and pastes alter the PH and/or some other biochemical factors related to the environment of the mouth.

Mouth rinses and washes with alcohol are probably the worst because of the drying nature of the alcohol which can cause the growth of the anaerobic bacteria to increase and also may cause mouth cancers after prolonged use.

Large numbers of people are wasting their money on mouthwash, gum, mints, and sprays. One pack of mints a day (at 50 cent each) will cost 182.00 every year, and most people spend a lot more than that. That's OK if you like mints, but to really solve the problem at the root, it must be done another way. One has to get to the root of the problem.

It appears, when you look at our levels of oral hygiene and bad breath, that we have not kept up with the changes in the other areas of our lives. We travel into deep space, to the depths of the oceans, and can communicate almost instantly with just about anywhere on the planet. Our progress in cleaning our mouths has not be quite so good.

A good question! Does anyone really believe that they could replace their mechanical toothbrush (electric or manual), with some kind of rinse? Definitely not, and yet when it comes to the question of cleaning the rest of the oral cavity, so many believe that all it takes is a quick rinse of some "chemical-packed" mouthwash.

Recent studies have shown up to 90% of all cases of halitosis (bad breath) can be atributed to the decomposing of the coating on the tongue, and harmful bacteria that are not removed by brushing, flossing, or gargling alone.

Our regular oral hygiene routine does not include cleaning our tongues properly, and hence the bacteria build up undisturbed, according to recent research.

Not only that, but some dentists even teach their patients to brush their tongues with their toothbrushes. One drawback of this is that a moist toothbrush will continue to hold the bacteria. Unless you are willing to throw out your toothbrush on a continuous basis, this is not a recommended process.

Brushing the tongue does little more than mash the bacteria and plaque deeper into the "filliform", without addressing the real problem at the posterior part of the tongue.

As "plaque" is to the teeth and gums, the "coating" is to the tongue. Brushing alone does not solve the problem. Although it is a step in the right direction, it merely loosens the coating. It does not remove it.