If you have ever tried to give your date a kiss and he or she puts a hand up to protect himself (herself) from your vile breath, you know how that feels. Probably that person did want your kiss, but was put off by your bad breath. What are the ways of fighting this disorder apart from daily brushing and flossing?
The average mouth is full of bacteria, which is found especially on the tongue because of the way it is; this is one of the causes of bad breath. During and after eating some food debris gets left on the tongue, causing anaerobic bacteria to multiply there. These produce Volatile Sulfur Compounds (VSC) which generate odor smelling of hydrogen sulfide, similar to rotten egg smell. Certain strong foods, after digestion, can also produce odor which makes your exhaled breath small bad.
You should use a tongue scraper to get rid of some the bacteria especially from the back of your tongue. But be careful while scraping as you can hurt the tongue and if you don't find an improvement, don't scrape harder.
There is a device called a Mouth Oxygenator which can be of help. The bacteria which cause bad breath live without oxygen, so if you drown these bacterial with oxygen it helps get rid of them and consequently the bad smell in your mouth and breath.
You may have tried a number of mouthwashes, but try and buy one which contains cetylpyridinium chloride and zinc chloride. Both these help in getting rid of bad breath. Hydrogen peroxide is another good remedy because it releases oxygen and does not allow the anaerobic bacterial to multiply, thus helping in getting rid of bad breath.
If you use a "water pik" in your oral hygiene routine, it will help a great deal because it plays a large part in removing the food particles from between the teeth. You can purchase a portable "water pik" that will work on batteries and take it with you to use wherever you go.
Baking soda is a tried and tested remedy for brushing teeth and combating bad breath. Since baking soda is used to get rid of odors in the refrigerator and is also sprinkled on carpets before vacuuming for the same reason, it has a similar effect of halitosis. Nowadays there are many brands of toothpaste with added baking soda, so you can get the benefits of both the toothpaste and the baking soda in one.
When you eat healthy food, you can get rid of bad odors. You must chew all your food properly and if, instead of junk food like candy, chips and cookies, you have fresh vegetables and fruits which are high in fiber and acids, these, too, help in preventing plaque build up and consequently bad breath. Use mint to rinse the mouth or chew some basil or parsley to get rid of bad smells. To keep your gums healthy have a sufficient quantity of citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruit, lemon, lime, as also guavas and pomegranates because they contain large quantities of Vitamin C. If you massage your gums with a blend of salt, pepper, turmeric and sesame oil, it will also help in keeping your gums firm and healthy. An effective mouthwash or gargle can be made with from of wintergreen leaves.
An easy and effective home remedy is a using hydrogen peroxide mixed with water as a rinse for your mouth -- this kills the bacteria because it oxygenates your mouth. If you do not have access to peroxide at least use plain water which will help get rid of food debris. Otherwise the food debris will attract bacteria which cause bad breath.
Because vegetarians do not eat animal protein and fat, their diets are lower in saturated fats and trans fat as also cholesterol. Vegan diets also have a higher fiber component when compared to non-vegetarian diets. This is the reason that vegans and vegetarians are less likely to suffer from bad breath. Since the bad breath causing bacteria live on protein, and vegetarians eat a diet which is higher in fruits and vegetables, they have less chances of developing a chronic bad breath problem than those whose main diet consists of meat and is high protein in nature.
