8 Surprising Home Remedies for Bad Breath You May Not Have Known

Bad breath or Halitosis is frequent cause to many people to visit dentist most of them are curious about home rededies to prevent their bad breath and want to have quality and heathy life with beautiful smile. 

Almost everyone of us might have experienced bad breath once in a while. Bad breath, medically known as halitosis is a common social problem that people are having globally. It is estimated to affect 1 in 4 people globally. It causes personal discomfort, social embarrassment and is regarded as a taboo in many areas.

Some people may not be aware of their own halitosis and they get to know about it from a friend, relative, family member, coworker, causing some degree of discomfort and anxiety affecting person’s quality of life. 

What causes bad breath???

There are a vast causes of bad breath, but a majority of it is attributed to poor oral hygiene. There are certain foods such as garlic, onion or certain spices, habits such as smoking and intake of certain medications that causes a momentarily disturbing odor. You people might have noticed your breath smelling foul usually in morning. There is morning bad breath habitually experienced on awakening. 

This is due to reduction in flow of saliva at night and increased decomposition of food particles stuck between your teeth. Deep dental caries with cavitation or irregularly placed teeth is a major cause of interdental food impaction. If you don’t brush of floss your teeth daily, food particles can remain in mouth promoting bacterial growth.

Main causes of bad breath (halitosis)

1. Bad oral hygiene
2. Irregularly placed tooth
3. Smoking
4. Gastritis 
5. Respiratory infection
6. Certain medication 
7. Metabolic condition like pregnancy 
8. Onion, Garlic and certain spicy food 
9. Gum disease 
10. Tongue coating with food particles

 Tongue coating, gum diseases such as gingivitis and periodontitis could be a contributory to bad breath. Saliva has a unique cleansing action in mouth, however patients with xerostomia also known as dry mouth present with large amounts of plaque and halitosis is common among them.

Acrylic dentures, especially when kept continuously in mouth at night or not regularly cleaned, can also produce a typical smell. Food particles not properly cleaned from appliances such as braces may rot leadon to malodor. Loose fitting dentures may cause sores or infection in mouth, which can cause bad breath 

Tonsillitis, respiratory infections such as sinusitis or bronchitis, and some gastrointestinal diseases may be responsible for a small number of cases of bad breath. Advanced liver or kidney disease and uncontrolled diabetes mellitus can also lead to unpleasant breath. Nausea and morning sickness , common during pregnancy may cause bad breath. In addition, hormonal changes, dehydration and eating different foods due to cravings may also contribute to bad breath during pregnancy. 

How to prevent bad breath ?

1. Maintain good oral hygiene.

 Brush your teeth twice a day using fluoridated toothpaste. Don’t forget to clean your tongue too. Replace your brush frequently and use floss or interdental cleaner to clean in between the teeth once a day. Rinse with an antibacterial mouthwash to reduce the bacterial load. Dentures should be removed at night and cleaned thoroughly before being placed in mouth

2. Keep yourself hydrated and drink water frequently.

 This will keep your mouth moist and washes away food particles and bacteria. Sugarless chewing gums could be another way to stimulate your saliva production.

3. Quit smoking and change the bad habits.

Smoking it not only causing bad breath it is leading cause of cancer and other various disease associated with orak cavity. So it is the right time to stop smoking and start healthy lifestyle. Various content in tobacco caused halitosis. 

4. Visit your dentist regularly

Either you have any dental proble or not but make habit of visiting dentist at least twice in a year. So that you can be aware that what is going inside your oral cavity and many of these problem can be solved at its initial stage.

5. Health check up

Many times due to certain disease your breath is bad so it is equally important to care about your gdneral health as oral cavity is gateway to body . If bad breath is due to health problem such as sinus infection, diabetes, acid reflux then underlying medical condition needs to be treated.

6. Medication associated halitosis

If bad breath is a side effect of taking a medication, discuss with a healthcare professional for an appropriate alternatives. Never discontinue medication without consultation with your doctor.

Who to consult??

In most cases, dentist can treat the cause of bad breath if the source is of oral origin. If you have periodontal diease, you may see a periodontist, dentist who specializes in gum disease.  If the odor is not of oral origin you may be referred to a specialist to determine odor source and treat accordingly. Also consult a physician or dentist if bad breath develops after new medication, after recent dental surgery or any other symptoms develop that are of concern. 

Home remedies for bad breath?

1. Good dental hygiene:

Poor dental hygiene is the most common cause of bad breath. Preventing plaque build up is the key to maintaining a healthy mouth.

2. Parsley

Parsley is a popular folk remedy for bad breath. Its fresh scent and high chlorophyll content suggest that it have be a masking effect.

3. Water

Drinking water will help to encourage saliva production and helps in keeping the mouth clean

4. Yogurt

Yoghurt contains healthy bacteria called lactobacillus. In a  study found after six weeks of eating yogurt, 80 percent of participants had a reduction in bad breath. Probiotics in yogurt are effective in reducing the severity of bad breath.

5. Orange

Orange is a source of vitamin C.  Research shows that vitamin C helps to increase saliva production , which can eliminate bad breath

6. Green tea

Green tea is an effective home remedy. Research shows that green tea has disinfectant and deodorizing properties that can temporarily freshen the breath, Mint has similar effects, so a cup of green mint tea may be a good breath freshener. 

7. Zinc

Zinc salt is an ingredient in certain mouthwashes and chewing gum. It can counteract bad breath. It helps in decreasing number of sulphurous compound responsible for malodor.

8. Cloves, fennel seeds

The antiseptic effect helps to fight halitosis-causing bacteria.

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