HOME REMEDIES FOR BAD BREATH (MOUTH ODOUR)

Everyone has encountered someone with bad breath or even been afraid of having it themselves.
Here are 10 simple Home Remedies for Bad breath (mouth odour)

1. Brush and floss after meals. What causes bad breath is a build up of bacteria from left over foods and beverages. These settle on the tongue and in between teeth, which then grow into bacteria causing the smell. All the basic hygiene routines should help prevent this but for some people it can actually be a medical condition and further remedies can be used to mask or get rid of bad breath.

2. Pay attention to your tongue. This is where most bacteria will grow. A tongue scraper is another vital tool that should go along with your toothbrush. The white film we sometimes see is the actual bacteria that are growing on your taste buds causing the bad breath.

3. Gargle with baking soda in hot water. This will clean the tongue of all the bacteria and film that have built up over time.

4. If you want to use a mouthwash get one that contains Zinc. Zinc neutralizes malodorous sulfur compounds in your mouth and helps improve breath. A common misconception with mouthwash is, while some are helpful and most do make your breath fresh, it is only temporary and could actually make your breath worse.  Most mouthwash contain alcohol which dries out your mouth, making bacteria grow faster and the smell worsen.

5. Drinking water is a remedy to keep bad breath from occurring. Keeping your mouth moist helps keep bacteria a bay and washes unwanted food particles away. We all know about morning breath right? This is because most sleep with their mouths closed and are not drinking anything.

6. A popular home remedy is chewing mint leaves and other spices such as peppermint. This custom is done a lot throughout Asia when finishing a meal.

7. Another trick is eating sunflower seeds and drinking water. The sunflower seeds remove plaque from the teeth and loosen leftover food particles, kind of like a little brushing of the teeth without the toothbrush.

8. Pineapple juice is an easy home remedy. The acid in the juice serves as a neutralizer in the mouth.

9. Next is yogurt. That's right! Eating yogurt for six weeks will completely remove bad breath due to the bacteria that already is growing in the yogurt.

10. Not only does an apple a day keep the doctor away but it can also do the same for the dentist. If you eat an apple each day it will purify your mouth and remove all the bad breath bacteria that are growing.

Note: remember when buying hygiene equipment like toothbrushes, floss, and mouthwash look for the ones that are ADA approved. Meaning approved by the American Dentist Association. And if you try all these remedies and still believe you have a problem then seeing your local dentist is the next step.