Bad breath is an embarrassing condition to have, especially if you don’t know where it came from or how to treat it. Bad breath often comes from odor-producing bacteria that remain in the mouth. If proper care is not taken, these bacteria can build up, making it increasingly hard to eliminate them. While there are several medical solutions to this problem, often bad breath can be cured by natural products that are easy to find.
Food
Food is the biggest cause of bad breath. Food gets stuck in the mouth and bad breath-causing bacteria can grow on that food. Luckily, there are several types of food that can help keep the mouth clean and your bad breath to a minimum. If you have bad breath, try eating 4 oz. of sugarless, nonflavored yogurt twice daily. The yogurt will counteract the spread of bacteria. Also, try an apple or sunflower seeds after you eat to help clean the mouth. There are herbs and spices you can try, such as mint leaves, parsley, cloves or cardamom. Several types of drinks will help with bad breath as well, such as pineapple juice or a hot cup of unsweetened tea. Try not to drink milk as it will leave bacteria and cause bad breath to increase.
Teeth and Mouth
One of the most important things to do is to make sure you regularly brush and floss your teeth. This is one of the best ways to keep bacteria at bay. If simple brushing alone does not work, you may want to try brushing with a hydrogen peroxide solution (or just gargling with one). Hydrogen peroxide will help sterilize the mouth and kill the cause of the breath. Also, brushing with sea salt powder will provide a harsher brush to the teeth and will remove more bacteria. In addition to gargling with a hydrogen peroxide solution, you can also try using baking soda in a glass of warm water or water with a squeeze of lemon. Try to stay away from mouthwashes that contain alcohol or dye as this will leave a residue on the teeth and not clear away the cause of bad breath.
Chemicals and Vitamins
There are also several chemical methods that you can use to get rid of bad breath. Try taking 1/2 tsp. of citric acid combined with 1/2 tsp. of baking soda twice daily. This will help restore bicarbonate levels in your body. Also, bad breath may be caused by lack of stomach acid. If this is the case, you should take some betaine HCI, which will help restore the acid. If there is a problem with your digestive track, a 1/4 tsp. of magnesium chloride will help open it up and stop bad breath. Finally, if you have high blood sugar, you may be susceptible to bad breath. Taking some Vitamin D may lower blood sugar levels and help reduce bad breath.
