There’s nothing worse than bad breath. It’s embarrassing and can be extremely unpleasant to be around. No one wants to talk to someone face to face who has bad breath. In fact, it’s something a lot of people will typically go to great lengths to avoid.
Many people don’t understand the causes of stinky breath. It’s a result of poor oral health and there are actually very simple ways to combat this problem. Let’s take a look at a few bad breath remedies you can use for keeping your mouth smelling as clean and fresh as possible.
Bad Breath Remedies: How to Reduce or Prevent Bad Breath
Bad breath is usually a symptom of an underlying oral issue. We take a look at some practical bad breath remedies to help reduce or prevent this problem.
Brush Your Teeth
This sounds obvious because it is. Brushing like a champion is the number one thing you can do to maintain fresh-smelling breath. And brushing once a day isn’t enough. After all, the more you eat and talk during the day without brushing, the more you increase the odds that your breath won’t stay fresh.
The average person should brush their teeth no less than three times a day. We recommend keeping a toothbrush handy so that you can brush your pearly whites after each meal, snack, and drink that might impact how your mouth smells.
Keep in mind that the people you interact with on a daily basis are more aware of your breath than you are. That’s why it’s important to be proactive and brush regularly so that peers don’t try to avoid you in the hallway.
Floss More Often
Let’s face it, most people have poor flossing habits. Yet, flossing is one of the most effective ways of reducing bacteria that collects inside your mouth.
Flossing helps to reach food that gets trapped between your teeth and leads to bad breath. Get in the habit of flossing at least once a day, and preferably twice. You’ll be amazed at the difference this simple habit makes.
Avoid Certain Foods
There are certain foods that cause bad breath regardless of how well you brush your teeth. Foods like garlic and onions are among the most frequently eaten and the leading offenders.
Remember that when you eat, you’re not only putting smelly foods in your mouth, you’re also activating bacteria that work to break down the food for digestion. All of this adds up to potentially terrible breath.
Choose Gum Over Mints
This might come as a bit of a surprise, but gum is actually more effective in fighting bad breath than after-dinner mints. Mints typically contain a lot of sugar. The bacteria in your mouth use sugar to make acid, and this acid wears down your teeth, which causes bad breath.
The solution is to chew sugarless gum. Saliva is your mouth’s natural defense system against plaque acids, and chewing gum stimulates saliva.
Chewing sugarless gum can help reduce the chances of tooth decay, and thus eliminate nasty breath.
Stop Using Tobacco Products
One of the most significant lifestyle changes you can make that will improve your oral health is to kick the tobacco habit. For starters, it’s just plain gross and unhealthy in so many ways.
Smoking can have a variety of ill effects on your body, including damage to your gums, staining your teeth, and yes…it causes cancer. It will also give you horrendously bad breath.
Many people kick the smoking habit by using over-the-counter nicotine patches. These patches can be an effective tool in helping to fight cravings.
Smokeless tobacco products are another awful habit many people become addicted to. Few things are worse for your teeth and gum health than chewing tobacco. These products often lead to terrible oral health issues including oral cancer.
Scrape Your Tongue
Most people are aware of the oral health benefits of brushing and flossing multiple time per day. And yet many are not as familiar with the benefits scraping or brushing your tongue daily.
The surface of your tongue serves as host for the bacteria that cause bad breath. Thus it’s good to get into the habit of using your toothbrush to brush your tongue in order to remove the dead cells, food debris and bacteria that collects there.
Focus on Keeping Your Gums Healthy
The simple truth is that unhealthy gums are like a laboratory for growing bacteria. The better you protect your gums from bacteria, the healthier your mouth will stay, and the better your breath will be.
Brushing and flossing certainly go a long way toward maintaining healthy gums. It’s also high recommended to rinse with a good mouthwash at least once a day. This is a great way to break up and get rid of plaque that brushing has loosened, helps keep your teeth strong and healthy, and makes your mouth fresh and inviting.
Keep Your Mouth Moist
Believe it or not, when your mouth doesn’t produce enough saliva, this can result in tooth decay and bad breath. The solution is to keep your mouth moist by drinking plenty of water during the day.
Another trick for maintaining a moist mouth is by sucking on a piece of sugar-free hard candy or chewing sugarless gum. You can also try running a humidifier in your bedroom at night. This way your mouth will be exposed to the added humidity in the air as you breathe during sleep.
The Simple Steps to a Healthy Mouth and Fresh Breath
Learning how to cure bad breath doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. The most common bad breath remedies are simple habits that should be incorporating into your everyday routine.
Good oral health should be a way of life and is the best bad breath cure. Caring for your teeth and gums is not only healthy, but it will also help keep your breath smelling healthy and fresh, making you and everyone around you happy and smiling!
Click here to learn about the causes of yellow teeth.