More Natural Remedies

Bad breath, or halitosis, is an all too common problem for millions of people around the world. Common causes of bad breath are usually due to bacteria living in our mouth. On average, over 400 different types of bacteria can be found living in our mouth. These bacteria are anaerobic, which means that they don’t need oxygen to survive. They feed on the food particulars left in our mouth and produce sulfides and ammonia gases as waste by product. Some of this waste product smell and taste like hydrogen sulfide, which smells like rotten eggs. Dead and dying bacterial cells also release sulfur compounds that gives the breath the bad odor.

While most cases of common bad breath are caused by bacteria in our mouth; other causes of bad breath may be due to poor hygiene, smoking, and a poor diet. However, chronic bad breath or an unusual recurring breath odor may be a sign of health problems in the mouth, teeth, gums, throat, or gastrointestinal tract that need to be treated by a medical professional.

Usually a person afflicted with bad breath doesn’t realize he has bad breath and the people that come in contact with him are usually too polite to tell him. If you are told you have a bad odor on your breath, check with your doctor immediately. Your physician will be able to determine whether or not your bad breath is linked to an underlying infection or other disease. It is not a good idea to try to mask the odor with over-the-counter breath fresheners and mints, instead of finding the root cause of your bad breath, and looking into how to get rid of bad breath.

If your halitosis is caused by tooth and gum conditions, smoking or anemia, these underlying conditions must be addressed and treated first. Once they are eliminated the bad breath may simply disappear. Similarly, bad breath due to gastrointestinal disorders may be successfully treated by correcting these disorders and cleansing the body of the causes of the bad breath.

Conventional cures for bad breath are oral hygiene, antiseptic mouthwashes, and in more sever cases, medications. However, various simply natural home remedies also prove to be helpful in getting rid of bad breath.

The first step to treating your bad breath, or halitosis, is to determine the cause. If you have the transient type of bad breath or the common bad breath caused by bacteria in our mouth that is easily corrected by cleaning the mouth, tongue and tonsil, regular oral hygiene is the easiest remedy to rid of that type of bad mouth. Teeth should be brushed properly at least twice a day, in the morning and at bed time. Food particles build up between the crevices of teeth should be removed with tooth pricks or floss. Eating fruits after lunch or dinner removes food particles and gives a clean feeling in the mouth.

Using a toothpaste containing neem (an evergreen tree found in India) extracts from neem leaf and neem bark, is effective in helping to prevent and heal gum disease, prevent tooth decay, enhance mouth immunity, and freshen the breath. Twice a year dental checkups should be a routine. And in case of tooth decay, bleeding and swollen gums, your dentist should be consulted about immediate treatment to take care of any problems.

In addition to regular oral hygiene, you should maintain a diet made up of a balance of vegetables, grains, seeds, nuts and fruits, with more emphasis placed on raw and cooked fruits and vegetables.

If you know your bad breath is caused by constipation, your first step should be to get rid of the constipation completely. A diet loaded with foods such as white bread, processed sugar, eggs and meats should be avoided. Six to eight dried figs and prunes should be eaten along with breakfast. Drinking at least 8-10 glasses of water daily and taking adequate fluids also helps in eliminating constipation that causes bad-breath.

Other foods and herbs that may prove effective bad breath remedies:

Fenugreek: Fenugreek has been shown to be an effective home remedy for bad breath and is a commonly used to treat the condition. Fenugreek seeds are brew into a tea. The tea is made from one teaspoon of fenugreek seeds in about two cups of water simmered for fifteen minutes over low flame. Do not bring to a boil. Strain the seeds and drink the filtered liquid. Drinking fenugreek tea on a regular basis will gradually reduce the severity of the bad breath.

Avocado: Avocado is an excellent remedy for bad breath that is a result of indigestion. Eating avocado can help clean out the intestine of food decomposition which is one of the major contributors to the causes of bad breath.

Guava: For bad breath caused by gum disease, guava is an effective treatment. Guava is a good source of calcium, manganese, oxalates, malic, oxalic, phosphoric, and tannic acids. These minerals and chemicals found in guava kill harmful bacteria that live in the gums and helps strengthen gums and stop bleeding in the gums, and decreases bad breath. Chewing the tender leaves of guava trees is also effective in stopping gums from bleeding and bad breath.

Parsley: Parsley is also effective as a natural cure for bad breath. A brew of boiled water with parsley and clove, strained, can be used as a mouthwash. To make the brew, bring two cups of water to boil, and then add several sprigs of parsley, coarsely chopped, along with two or three whole cloves or a quarter teaspoon of ground cloves. Stir the brew occasionally as it cools. After cooling, strained and used the liquid as a mouthwash or rinse your mouth with it after every meal to control bad breath. A quicker way to use parsley is to just chew it to keep your breath fresh. If you don’t like the taste of parsley, chewing mint leaves will also serve to refresh your breath.

Tea: Tea is a natural cure for bad breath. The antioxidant polyphenols found in green and black teas slow or prevent the growth of the bacteria responsible for bad breath. Rinsing the mouth with tea can reduce plaque buildup and stop the formation of the acids that cause tooth decay.

Baking soda: Baking soda is a cheap and effective bad breath remedy. It changes the acidity level in your mouth, which make it less hospitable to odor emitting bacteria. Baking soda is easy to use; simply put some baking soda onto your toothbrush, brush with it, and then rinse with water. Or if you prefer, you can buy toothpastes that uses baking soda as an ingredient.

Salt water: Goggling with salt is another cheap and effective nature remedy to fight bad breath. Salt also acts by changing the acidity of the month and killing the bacteria responsible for bad breath and halitosis.

If you gargle or rinse with any of the above mentioned natural remedies to get rid of bad breath, it is important to still brush afterwards. Don’t forget to brush the top of your tongue with your toothbrush or scrape with a tongue scraper every morning, to help dislodge the any food particles that may contribute to bad breath. A healthy diet that’s right for you may be the only natural cure for bad breath that you need. A diet that is right for a healthy body is also a good diet for bad breath cure. If you think that your bad breath is due to eating certain foods, try avoiding those foods to see if it makes a difference.

Cut down on foods that is high in fat and sugar. Acidic foods such as tea and coffee can cause problems. People with food allergies and intolerances to such foods as diary and meat products are especially susceptible to getting bad breath. Too much sugar rich foods also increase the change of having bad breath as the bacteria in the mouth feed on sugar.

Natural remedies can work magic to get rid of halitosis but they need to be complemented with basic good oral hygiene. A combination of regular brushing and flossing along with the proper diet will keep your common causes of bad breath under control and that your breath is fresh and non-offensive.