Bad breath or halitosis can cause to those afflicted personal and social embarrassments. The unpleasant odor emanating from the oral cavity is commonly caused by bacteria on the person's tongue, along the line of the gum and around the teeth. Food particles between the teeth, and food residue along the gum line can attract the bacteria that cause bad breath. During the ancient time, the Greeks used white wine mixed with anise seed, and myrrh to rinse their mouths.
“Mouthwash for bad breath will cover oral odor temporarily,” says Linda Niessen, associate professor of geriatric oral medicine at Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas. Dental rinses, which consist of mainstream mouthwash and specialty brands, can control dry mouth and stop bad breath for about 20 minutes to two hours only.
Bad breath also happens when the flow of saliva decreases and the mouth becomes dry. On the southern shore of the island of Chios, people chew gum mastic to freshen their breath and stimulate the flow of saliva. Incisions are made in the bark of the a little green shrub called Pistacia lentiscus, which then bleeds a pale, yellowish white color with mild scent similar to vanilla. As a result, chewing gums and mints continue to generate excitement because of their ability to freshen breath fast.
Do you have bad breath? Then keep reading to discover how you can easily stop bad breath with simple and inexpensive remedies.
Bad Breath Cures at Home
Poor oral hygiene cause bad breath or halitosis. Here are simple and inexpensive home remedies for bad breath, which can be part of one’s daily routine.
Good dental hygiene is the first of many bad breath cures. A thorough brushing at least twice a day will remove food odor left in the mouth and on the tongue. A regular flossing can free trapped food between the teeth and the gum line. Get rid of halitosis by cleaning the tongue of food debris and postnatal drip that can collect on the posterior area.
Oral care products that contain chlorine dioxide can kill bad breath bacteria. Use one tablespoon of liquid chlorophyll per half glass water for an everyday mouthwash. Similarly, a spoonful of baking soda in water will help neutralize the bad smell. Good oral hygiene should also include a gentle and thorough scraping of the tongue with a disposable plastic spoon, if one does not have a tongue scraper. Deep tongue cleaning removes the source of the strong oral odor that comes from the posterior area of the dorsal surface.
Good oral hygiene can keep the mouth free from bad breath. “In the absence of basics, rinse mouth with plain water after eating,” says Dr. Virginia L. Woodward, past president of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association. Swish the water around the mouth to remove food residue. A stem of parsley can help mask the bad odor.
Most often, antibacterial mouthwashes can get rid of bad breath caused by a poor oral hygiene. Mouth rinses can also remove the “morning mouth” type of bad breath. Dilute a half tablespoon of apple cider vinegar into a glass of water and gargle it in your mouth for 10 seconds at a time.
Other herbs to cure bad breath are cardamom, cloves, fennel, and guava peel. However, bad breath caused by smoking or chewing tobacco requires a mouth rinse with a long-lasting, aromatic mint to freshen the breath of the user for a longer time. Any oral care formula that will increase one's saliva flow can also remove the bad oral odor.
How to Cure Bad Breath
Is your bad breath a problem that brushing and a breath mint cannot fix? Fixing bad breath depends on what is causing it. Aside from a dirty mouth, treatable conditions such as dental plaque, gum disease, hairy tongue, sinus infection, and tooth decay could cause halitosis.
A regular dental care is certainly the first in a bad breath cure. Individuals with persistent bad breath may want to investigate what is causing the bad odor. Possible halitosis causes are undiagnosed cavity or gum disease. A broken filling can trap food particles and can cause offending oral odor. A regular dental care will also make it harder for plaque and tartar to build up on the teeth surface.
In most cases, a proper dental care combined with daily good oral hygiene that includes deep tongue cleaning and use of an efficacious mouth rinse can prevent mouth conditions that can promote halitosis. Gingivitis may cause pus to drain from between the teeth, causing gum disease bad breath.
Other mouth conditions such as canker sores can cause the mouth to dry, resulting to reduction of saliva needed to wash away oral bacteria. When the mouth becomes dry, place several drops of lemon on the tip of the tongue to lend moisture to the dry mouth, making it less hospitable for odor causing bacteria.
There are "fresh breath clinics" offering medical diagnostic and treatment for chronic bad breath. Medical management will determine the source of the oral odor and the appropriate treatment to put an end to bad breath problem. The same will end one's personal and social embarrassments caused by bad breath.
References:
- Halitosis, CROHN BB, DROSD R, JAMA 1941; 117: 2242-2245
- Breath: Causes, Diagnosis and Treatment of Oral Malodor By Lee, Sean S
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