How to Get Rid of Bad Breath

There is a strong connection between halitosis and emotional distress. In a study conducted by Dr. Harinder Paul Singh he concluded that “halitosis results in loss of self-esteem followed by psychological disturbance and thus influences daily life of the patient.”

You probably don’t need a scientific data to prove to you that bad breath is embarrassing. But if the results of that study sound all too familiar then it’s time to do something about your bad breath.

Bad breath is destructive to relationships and can hold you back from new professional opportunities and personal goals and make you hesitant to voice your opinion.

Are you ready to take back control of your life and rediscover your confidence? Get started by taking steps to get rid of your bad breath.

Here’s how.

Identify the Cause of Your Bad Breath

Bad breath is caused by different factors that each require unique treatment.

Some of the main causes of halitosis include:

• Diet
• Systemic health conditions
• Oral disease or infection
• Bacteria overgrowth and poor oral hygiene

Consider each of these causes one-by-one to find out which bad breath treatment is right for you.

Freshen Up Bad Breath Caused by Food

Diet-induced halitosis is fairly well-known and quite common. Smelly foods not only linger on your breath, but they also circulate in your bloodstream until your body excretes them entirely. This means that you’ll continue to exhale the foul odors of stinky foods for quite some time after you’ve eaten them. You’ll just have to wait patiently for the smell to go away.

In the meantime, you can mask or negate the offensive odors of foods like garlic, fish, or coffee by munching on some natural odor-eliminators:

• Lettuce
• Fresh apple slices
• Mint leaves
• Cloves
• Fennel
• Parsley

Those aliments are a solid first step in getting rid of bad breath.

In general, you can avoid those temporary cases of halitosis by avoiding the foods that cause them. This includes other stinky items you could put in your mouth such as cigarettes or chewing tobacco.

What if Your Bad Breath Is Caused by a Health Problem?

Bad breath that doesn’t improve no matter what you do may be related to a serious issue in your body. Conditions such as diabetes, pneumonia, and kidney failure can all present unique halitosis symptoms.

Note, however, that such cases are rare. On average, only about 5-10% of bad breath cases are due to such health conditions. If a serious health problem was the cause of your halitosis, it would be accompanied by other much more noticeable symptoms.

If you suspect that bad breath is a sign of a medical problem, you should mention it to your physician. In that case, it’s a bit more difficult to get rid of bad breath.

Treatment for Bad Breath Caused by Oral Disease

Oral infections are very common contributors to bad breath. Infections such as cavities and gum disease are caused by bacteria that attack tissues in the mouth. Because as teeth or gums break down, they can give off a rotten odor. Gum disease in particular is notorious for causing vile and chronic bad breath.

Do you have swollen or bleeding gums, pus, or a toothache in addition to bad breath? Popping a mint isn’t the solution, in this case. You need a dentist’s help to treat the infection and stop the malodor at its source.

How to Cure Halitosis Caused by Poor Oral Hygiene

Now it’s time to consider the most common cause of bad breath: poor oral hygiene.

Inadequate or ineffective oral hygiene methods allow plaque bacteria to flourish in the mouth. These bacteria release volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) which cause that rotten egg smell. Keeping your mouth as clean as possible therefore reduces the number of odorous germs in your mouth and is the best way to maintain fresh breath.

Get rid of bad breath or prevent halitosis in the first place by improving your oral hygiene. Firstly, brush your teeth twice daily for two minutes at a time. Secondly, floss carefully around each tooth. Finally, rinse your mouth with water after each meal and snack to reduce debris and slow down bacterial growth.

What if you can’t get rid of bad breath still stinks even after you do all this?

Constant bad breath is usually caused by more than just the bacteria on your teeth. In fact, you’re most likely overlooking the very large surface area that covers your tongue. Odor-producing germs can coat your tongue and cause halitosis if you don’t clean your tongue regularly.

Your tonsils are another potential source of bad breath. They can collect germs and debris that turn into smelly tonsil stones.

Cleaning your tongue and tonsils regularly is thus an important step in maintaining fresh breath.

Choose a scraper designed for cleaning your tongue. Stick your tongue out as far as you comfortably can. Place the scraper on the back of your tongue and gently pull it forward while applying slight pressure. After pulling it off the tip of your tongue, you’ll notice that the scraper is covered with a sticky residue. This is all of that food debris and bacteria that cause your bad breath.

How do you clean your tongue and tonsils?

Tongue scraping is the best way to remove halitosis-causing germs from your tongue.

Don’t let halitosis ruin your life! Take steps today towards fresher breath.

Continue gently scraping your tongue like this starting at different points on your tongue so that you cover the whole surface. Rinse the scraper clear of debris after each pass. Cleaning your tongue takes only a minute or two. Performed at least once daily, tongue scraping is an excellent way to ensure you have good-smelling breath.

Tonsil cleaning is another easy and effective way to prevent bad breath. You can clean your tonsils by gargling with warm salt water. Flushing your tonsils with water is another good way to dislodge debris before it has a chance to turn into tonsil stones.

By incorporating tonsil care and tongue scraping into your oral hygiene routine, you can keep your breath clean and healthy.

How to Prevent Bad Breath

Over 1,000 individuals from the Netherlands were surveyed online and asked about how they felt about bad breath.

The results? The overwhelming majority reported that halitosis is a strong “downer” when meeting someone for the first time. It’s clear that having bad breath negatively impacts someone’s first impression of you. Additionally, nearly 90% of the study participants reported having regular contact with someone whose breath smells bad.

Halitosis is a prevalent problem and an emotional one. Fortunately, however, it is a problem that you can easily prevent.

To maintain fresh breath, do the following:

• Avoid smelly foods and activities such as smoking
• Stay hydrated
• Reach for natural breath fresheners
• Visit your doctor and dentist to identify possible causes of halitosis
• Maintain excellent oral hygiene

Scrape your tongue and clean your tonsils daily!