Halitosis, bad breath or mouth odour as it is known is the development of an unpleasant smell coming from the mouth. It can occur occasionally or it could be a chronic condition. Bad breath could be caused by foods a person eats, poor oral hygiene, diseases, or other factors.
Contrary to the widespread notion that minty gum and sweet clear mouth odour, an Australia-based dentist, James Buchanan, has said condemned the use of mints for bad breath, saying it aggravates the condition rather than remedies it.
His words: “Mouth bacteria turn sugar in mints to acid which wears down teeth and causes bad breath. It is best to use something like a sugar-free gum”. Instead, he recommends eating yoghurt and fruit for breakfast to clean your mouth and freshen your breath.
Aside replacing mints with fruits and other natural plants to expel bad breath, it is important for you to trace the root cause of your own bad breath, in order to apply the appropriate remedy to it.
Other causes of Halitosis, aside the ones mentioned earlier are: food and drink-heavily spiced or flavoured foods and alcoholic drinks; smoking; crash dieting-fasting, low carbs diet and medications can all cause mouth odour.
Natural Tips To Expel Bad Breath
The following home remedies have been tested and proven to get rid of bad breath.
- Lemon Juice
Curing bad breath with a lemon rinse has been used for generations. The acidic content in lemons prevents growth of bacteria in your mouth. Its strong pleasant smell helps mask the bad odour.
You can simply add warm water to the lemon juice and use it to rinse your mouth early in the morning and before bed in the evening. This remedy will help to solve the problem of dry mouth which is one of the main reasons that contribute to bad breath.
- Bitter (Garcinia) kola
Bitter kola is a natural compound (dimeric flavonoid) for treating bad breath as it exhibits very potent pharmacological activities in this area. Studies have shown that Bitter kola possess strong antibacterial property, and as such, fights bacteria that cause mouth odour.Just chew one or two pieces of bitter kola at the last thing before you go to bed. By the next morning, you will find out that your mouth is as fresh as if you have just brush your teeth.
- Clean your tongue properly
Most people hurriedly brush their teeth and neglect proper cleaning of the tongue. It has
been discovered that much of the food let over in the tongue if not well cleaned, will aid bacterial to breed on the tongue, which degenerates into mouth odour.
- Cinnamon Chewing Sticks
Cinnamon is known to have antimicrobial action. It’s also proved effective against bacteria that cause oral infections in some studies. Cinnamon is also thought to have digestive and respiratory benefits, although more research is needed. Cinnamon chewing sticks also contain fiber that supports microbial diversity in the mouth.
- Drink Adequate Water
Dry mouth is one of the reasons for bad breath, so to be free from this, you have to ensure that your mouth is moist throughout the day by drinking enough water, which will enhance the free flow of food particles and bacteria.
- Keep Your Toothbrush Clean
To keep your toothbrush free of stink-triggering bacteria, store it, head down, in a lidded plastic tumbler of hydrogen peroxide. Rinse the brush well before you use it.
