Bad Breath Home Remedies You Already Have and Don’t Even Know It
Many home remedies for bad breath have developed over the years as different generations sought to alleviate this problem before the introduction of the vast amount of oral care products we have available to us today. Some of these home remedies are incredibly effective and have in fact been the source of inspiration for many of the oral care product we have just mentioned.
The best course of treatment however will always depend on the root cause of the bad breath problem and while there can be many factors that cause bad breath such as throat infections, tooth decay or more serious diseases like liver disease, the primary cause of bad breath for most people is the presence of excess bacteria in the mouth excreting foul smelling sulphuric waste products.
We now understand that the best way to treat bad breath is to limit the amount of these bacteria by making it difficult for them to thrive within the mouth by flossing and brushing to remove food particles and using anti-bacterial mouth wash to kill the bacteria living on the cheeks, gums and between the teeth.
Before this was identified people identified that certain strong smelling foods would leave an after taste and smell on the breath. People recognized that fresh smelling herbs and plants could help mask the smell with a fresher aroma and mint and parsley leaves used to be served as a side for chewing after a meal. There are now vast arrays of products that have utilized this unique property of mint to freshen the breath as we have mint sweets, mint tooth paste, mint chewing gum and mint mouth wash! In fact mint is pretty much synonymous with oral hygiene!
Two other foods that may help remove strong food odors after a meal are sunflower seeds and clove. Some people chew on sunflower seeds or clove after a meal with a glass of water in a hope to absorb the smell of any pungent odors in the food they have just eaten.
There are also some liquid remedies people use that are worth a look at. Some people use the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon and gargle it throughout the day. While this may have a strong, fresh smell that could mask bad breath, lemon juice is acidic and that could actually promote the growth of bacteria in the mouth so is not a home remedy I would recommend.
Green tea is another drink that some believe may help fight bad breath although in all my research I have yet to find someone that can give a good reason why. Some believe that copper traces in tea may help scrape the tongue clean however tea contains caffeine which is a diuretic. This means it will promote dehydration which can lead to dry mouth, a common contributor to bad breath. Therefore until I can find stronger evidence for the benefit of green tea in the fight against bad breath it is not a home remedy I would recommend.
A simple home remedy that may be more effective however is the use of baking soda to clean the teeth and gums. Among its many interesting uses baking soda can be an effective agent for not only whitening teeth but helping to remedy bad breath. The bad breath causing bacteria of the mouth thrive in acidic environments, baking soda helps to reduce the acidity of the mouth making it much more difficult for the bacteria to live and breed and so baking soda has been used as an ingredient in many oral hygiene products.
Ultimately good oral hygiene products of today have been inspired by the bad breath remedies of the past and we should ensure we floss, brush and rinse with mouthwash daily in order to rid our mouths of bacteria and ultimately the bad breath they cause.
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