Bad Breath Cures

Bad Breath Cures

Let’s face it. Bad breath is a problem that no one wants to have for long.
The good news is that it’s not too hard to find a bad breath cure. There
are a number of easy-to-follow bad breath remedies that I’ll discuss below.

The first step in finding a bad breath cure is to find the most common bad
breath causes. Of course, certain foods like garlic or onions can cause
temporary bad breath which can last anywhere from a few hours to a few
days. The oils in these foods can cause the strong odor to linger quite a
while - usually longer than you can detect on your own breath.

Another common cause is to have food particles stuck in your teeth.
If they stay there too long, they create a place for bacteria to flourish.
Speaking of bacteria, this is actually the number one cause of bad breath.

The Most Common Cause

Having some bacteria in your mouth and digestive tract is completely
normal and healthy. However, some bacteria are anaerobic which means
that they thrive in the absence of oxygen. The back of your tongue,
around your tonsils and even around your teeth and gums is a perfect
place for this bacteria to grow.

These anaerobic bacteria produce sulfur compounds which are the most
common cause of bad breath. The good news is that bad breath is
easy to treat.

However, before we get to the solutions, let’s talk a moment about another
more serious cause of bad breath. If you have any amount of periodontal
disease, it can lead to a very foul smell. Gum disease, excess tarter,
receding gums, or bleeding gums can all add to otherwise normal causes of
bad breath.

If you suffer from any of these problems, a visit to your dentist is strongly
advised. Also, please read my article on gingivitis and how to cure your
bleeding gums.

Some other bad breath causes include chronic dry mouth and oral thrush.
Dry mouth can be caused by smoking and by some medications. Also, the
morning breath that we commonly have when we first wake up is from an
extended period of very little saliva in the mouth.

Oral thrush is probably the most difficult to cure of all of the common
causes of bad breath. It’s a yeast overgrowth in your mouth and is usually
a sign of an overgrowth of yeast in your intestinal tract.

Thrush is very common and relatively harmless in babies where it usually
goes away in a couple of weeks. In adults, it looks like a white velvety
patch on the surface and it will be red and sore underneath. We will
discuss the recommended treatment below.

Finally, many people believe that bad breath is caused by internal
problems. This is very rare. It is true that some diseases can cause bad
breath but this is not normally the cause. If a dental checkup and the
recommendations below do not cure your bad breath, it might be a good
idea to visit your doctor for a physical. But, the good news is that the
most common bad breath causes are very easy to treat.

Bad Breath Remedies

Of course, brushing twice daily and flossing to remove food particles are
the basics. But, if you are out in public and suddenly fear that you might
have bad breath, what can you do?

First of all, remember that bad breath is usually caused by an overgrowth
of anaerobic bacteria. Drinking a glass of water will help a little by rinsing
away some of the bacteria and will moisten your mouth. Remember that a
dry mouth can cause bad breath. Swish some liquid around and don’t
worry about swallowing the bacteria. There are already plenty of them in
your gut and they will not hurt you.

Another quick fix is to chew some cinnamon gum. The cinnamon oil that
flavors the gum will neutralize some of the bacteria and provide some
temporary relief. Of course, Listerine Breath Strips are always good to
have on hand.

If you eat a meal with a lot of garlic or onions, there are a couple of
delicious options to help with the odor. Both chocolate and ice cream have
emulsifiers that will help breakdown the volatile oils that give these foods
their strong smell. So, after eating these foods, enjoy a dessert that helps
your breath. But, don’t count on this solution to help too much as the
impact is small. The best bet is to not order the shrimp scampi unless
your date also eats garlic. Then you won’t offend each other too much.

My Best Solutions

Keeping the best for last, I will offer my two best solutions. Considering
that bad breath is usually caused by an overgrowth of anaerobic bacteria,
the best solutions deal with directly knocking-out the large colony of
bacteria.

If you do not brush your tongue when you brush your teeth, I suggest
that you include some tongue care in your daily oral hygiene routine.
However, brushing your tongue is not enough. If you have never tried a
tongue scraper, you need to give one a try. A tongue scraper is cheap
(about $4) and it only takes a few seconds to use.

The model I use is the Pureline Oralcare and I use it before I brush my
teeth. The scraping action does a much better job of removing the built up
plaque hidden among the taste buds on the surface of your tongue. Then,
after brushing my teeth, I follow up by brushing my tongue. This alone will
kill millions of bad breath germs.

The very best solution that I can offer is to use hydrogen peroxide in
place of either your toothpaste or your mouthwash. Preferably in place of
both. Think about it – anaerobic bacteria is instantly killed by oxygen.
And, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) has an extra oxygen molecule it
desperately wants to give away.

Hydrogen peroxide is completely safe for oral use as long as you use
a 3% solution (like you get at the grocery store) and as long as you don’t
swallow it. You would never swallow your toothpaste or your mouthwash,
right?

I talk a lot about how hydrogen peroxide can cure periodontal disease in
my article on gingivitis. Please review that article for a lot more information
on using hydrogen peroxide for dental hygiene. Using hydrogen peroxide
daily is by far the best thing you can do to prevent bad breath.

The Most Difficult Situations

If you smoke cigarettes or take medications that dry out your mouth, the
best solutions are to quit smoking or change your medication. However,
we all know how hard it is to quit smoking.

I personally know all too well how difficult it can be and I discuss some very
helpful tips on how to quit in my article on how to quit smoking. In that
article I discuss the differences between the habit of smoking and the
addiction to nicotine. If you are serious about wanting to quit, please take
the time to read that article.

Regarding medication, discuss the issue with your doctor and see if there
are any options for medications that don’t leave your mouth constantly dry.

If stopping smoking or changing medication is not an option, try chewing a
sugar-free gum or sipping a sugar free drink. Anything that you can do to
keep your mouth moist should help your breath.

Finally, if you suffer from oral thrush you should consider visiting your
doctor. Symptoms include a sore throat, a white coating on the tongue
and throat, bumps on the throat and tongue, and bad breath. The doctor
will likely prescribe an anti-fungal medicine and possibly an antibiotic.
However, there are a couple of additional things that you can do that your
doctor will likely not mention.

First, recognize that antibiotics are not selective as to which bacteria they
destroy. (Yes, there are gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria but
that’s a different story) Antibiotics kill both the bad bacteria and the good
bacteria.

Whenever you take a course of antibiotics, it is always a good idea to help
your body replenish your intestinal flora. A few days after you finish your
antibiotics, take a probiotic supplement daily for a few weeks. This is a
great thing to do for your immune system and your overall health.

The next thing to consider is that oral thrush is almost always a sign of an
overgrowth of candida in your intestinal tract. Uncontrolled yeast
infections throughout your body can have many side effects that are bad
for your health.

There are some great natural remedies that you can try for candida
infections. One that I would recommend is by Linda Allen who is a
certified nutritionist and the author of Yeast Infection No More. You can
read more about her program at: Yeast Infection No More.

Note that she is selling an e-book (downloaded as a pdf) but I believe that
a natural cure is always better for you than pharmaceuticals –
and probably cheaper too.

Conclusion

With the most common cause of bad breath being an overgrown
population of anaerobic bacteria in your mouth, practicing good oral
hygiene is the best way to end bad breath. The problem is that most
people do not do all that they can to insure oral hygiene.

Brushing and flossing is a good start. But, using hydrogen peroxide in
place of your toothpaste and your mouthwash will take your oral hygiene
to a new level.

And, for those times when you are caught in public with bad breath, try
swishing some water around in your mouth, chew some cinnamon gum, or
sneak a Listerine Breath Strip for a short term "quick fix".

If these simple tips do not give you relief from chronic bad breath, a check
up with your dentist is in order. And remember, stay away from the
anchovies unless everyone else likes them too.

Best wishes for a fresh mouth and sweet breath. Cheers!

Related Articles

Gingivitis Treatment
My experience with gingivitis and bleeding gums was scary. Find out the
cure. It works fast and it's cheap.

How to Get Rid of Bad Breath Fast
Here are some fast and effective steps to get rid of bad breath

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