There are many ways to mask bad breath (halitosis), but if you are tired of only temporary remedies and want to get rid of bad breath once and for all, follow the instructions in this article in detail.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Changing Your Oral Hygiene
Step 1. Brush your teeth regularly
Bad breath is mainly caused by two factors: bacteria and decaying food particles. There are dozens of niches and crevices in your mouth where food residues can hide and rot.
- Squeeze a small amount of toothpaste (the size of a pea) onto a soft-bristled toothbrush and hold it at a 45-degree angle to your gums. Brush each tooth across its entire surface with short, gentle strokes, taking care not to apply too much pressure to the gums to avoid irritation. Proper brushing should take about three minutes.
- Brush your teeth and rinse your mouth with mouthwash at least twice a day. Also, floss daily.
- When brushing, make sure you reach every area of your mouth, including your gums and tongue.
Step 2. Clean your tongue too
Brushing your teeth is not enough. Since the tongue has a very large surface area and is covered with furrows and bumps, it is able to host more bacteria than the rest of the mouth. Eliminating bacteria from the tongue can be crucial in curing bad breath.
- There are special "tongue-cleaning" brushes on the market; alternatively you can use a common soft bristle toothbrush.
- Brush your tongue with strokes pointing towards the tip and rinse the toothbrush each time.
- If you have a pharyngeal reflex, brushing your tongue may make the problem worse. In this regard, follow the advice in the article Keeping the pharyngeal reflex under control.
Step 3. Floss daily
Flossing your teeth is just as important as brushing them, and it's even more essential when fighting bad breath. Make it a habit.
Initially, you may notice gum bleeding caused by the removal of food debris hidden under your teeth for who knows how long. Smell the floss you used for a second, if you dare: you will finally find out what the origin of bad breath is
Step 4. Use mouthwash
Its function is to keep your mouth moist and to help prevent bad breath.
- Choose a mouthwash that contains chlorine dioxide. Many of the bacteria that cause bad breath live on the back of the tongue, too close to the throat to be removed with a toothbrush or "tongue cleaner". Fortunately, vigorous rinsing with a mouthwash that contains chlorine dioxide can be able to neutralize them.
- Try rinsing your mouth with mouthwash before you even use your toothbrush, floss and "tongue cleaner"; repeat again after complete cleaning: in this way you will be sure to neutralize all the bacteria present.
Part 2 of 4: Changing Your Habits
Step 1. Try chewing gum
Any chewing gum will help you fight bad breath because by operating your mouth you will produce more saliva. However, it should be noted that some chewing gums have better anti-halitosis properties than others:
- The cinnamon flavor appears to be particularly effective in reducing the number of bacteria present in the mouth.
- Go for chewing gum sweetened with xylitol (sugar will only feed bacteria and make odor problems worse). Xylitol is a sugar substitute capable of counteracting the reproduction of bacteria inside the mouth.
Step 2. Keep your mouth well hydrated
A dry mouth is a smelly mouth, which is why bad breath is particularly noticeable in the morning, as your mouth produces less saliva while you sleep. Saliva is the enemy of halitosis because it physically washes the mouth by eliminating food residues and bacteria, but above all because it has antiseptic and enzymatic properties that kill bacteria.
- Chewing gum stimulates the production of saliva (as well as masking the bad smell thanks to its aromas). Mint candies do not induce increased salivation.
- You drink water. Swirl it in your mouth from side to side. Water doesn't necessarily increase saliva production, but it cleanses the mouth and is good for the overall health of the body. In this regard, also read the article Drink more water every day.
- Having a dry mouth can be the cause of some medical conditions or medicines. Ask your doctor to help you treat the disease that causes dry mouth or to replace your current medications with less counterproductive ones.
Step 3. Stop smoking and chewing tobacco
If you need one more reason to stop a highly unhealthy habit, tobacco is known to cause bad breath.
- Overcoming tobacco addiction can be difficult, read this article for helpful tips and details.
- In some cases, bad breath can indicate oral cancer caused by smoking or chewing tobacco. Quitting smoking and consulting your doctor to get an accurate diagnosis is vital.
Part 3 of 4: Change Your Power Supply
Step 1. Eliminate smelly foods
Your body absorbs the flavors and smells of everything you drink and eat, so a particularly spicy cuisine can be felt for a long time in the breath. Consider eliminating the following varieties of foods from your diet, or at least make sure you brush your teeth carefully after eating them.
- Vegetables that belong to the Liliaceae family, such as onions, garlic, leeks and chives, are known for their pungent aroma. Eating such ingredients or foods that contain them can cause particularly strong breath. It should be noted, however, that each of these foods also has significant health benefits, so instead of avoiding them, it is advisable to try to take them outside of social occasions, for example when dining alone at home.
- Understand that brushing your teeth is not enough to completely eliminate the pungent aroma of raw garlic and other strong-smelling ingredients. In fact, the body digests these ingredients and the smell enters the bloodstream and lungs and returns to the outside in the form of bad breath! If you eat them in large quantities, reducing your intake (even without completely eliminating them) can greatly reduce your bad breath problem.
Step 2. Eliminate or cut back on coffee and alcohol
The chemicals contained in these drinks alter the environmental conditions of the mouth, favoring the reproduction of bacteria that cause bad odor.
- If you don't want to stop taking these drinks, make sure you always rinse your mouth after drinking them; you can use plain water or a solution prepared with water and bicarbonate (1 part of bicarbonate for every 8 parts of water). After about 30 minutes, brush your teeth carefully using the toothbrush.
- Do not use your toothbrush immediately after drinking coffee or an alcoholic beverage (or eating or drinking something acidic). Acids can make your teeth vulnerable, and brushing them could cause abrasions in the enamel.
Step 3. Bring the carbohydrates to the table
Did you know that a low carb diet can cause "acetone breath"? Basically, when the body feeds itself by breaking down fats instead of carbohydrates it creates ketones, some of which are released in the mouth. Unfortunately, ketones have an unpleasant odor, and they also affect your breath. If you are on a low-carb diet or diet that forces you to burn fat, consider including some healthy complex carbohydrate snacks, such as an apple or banana.
- Also, note that fruits that contain high amounts of vitamin C help fight potentially harmful bacteria that can be one of the causes of bad breath.
- The same problem can arise in those who are fasting or suffering from anorexia. If you have anorexia, bad breath is just one of the reasons why you should stop starving your body. Read the article on how to manage the desire to become anorexic.
Part 4 of 4: Knowing When To See A Doctor
Step 1. Talk to your doctor
If you have followed the previous advice diligently, but bad breath persists, you may have some disease that needs to be treated by a doctor.
Bad breath indicates that something is wrong with your body. If even changing your oral hygiene practices and the foods you bring to your table do not improve your bad breath symptoms, there is a good chance that you are suffering from some imbalance, infection or disorder that is the cause
Step 2. Find out if you have tonsil stones
These are accumulations of solid materials (food, mucus and bacteria) that stick to the tonsils and are visible in the form of white spots. Sometimes they can be confused with an oral infection (such as pharyngitis), while in some cases they may be too small to be identified in the mirror.
- Tonsil stones are often not dangerous to health, but they can cause bad breath. If you notice small whitish patches on the tonsils, try to scrape them very gently with a cotton swab (be very careful not to choke and do not press too hard). If you manage to partially eliminate them and they show up as liquid or in the form of pus, it is likely that you have a tonsil infection; conversely, if they don't come off or break off into pieces of white solid matter (similar to a pebble) they could be tonsil stones. Smell them to be sure.
- You may also notice a metallic taste in your mouth or a clogged feeling when you swallow.
Step 3. Find out if you have diabetic ketoacidosis
Type 2 diabetes can force the body to burn fat instead of glucose, releasing the ketones responsible for bad breath.
Bad breath can be caused by metformin, a type 2 diabetes drug. If you are forced to use it, ask your doctor to suggest alternatives
Step 4. Evaluate other possible causes
The diseases that can cause halitosis are numerous, including for example:
- Trimethylaminuria. When the body fails to break down a chemical called trimethylamine it releases it in the saliva, causing bad breath. The same substance is also excreted through sweat, so an unpleasant body odor can be an additional symptom.
- Infections. Several types of infections, including sinus and stomach infections, can cause bad breath. It is therefore important to always discuss any symptoms with your doctor, including bad breath.
- Kidney disease or dysfunction. In particular, if you experience a metallic or ammonia taste or smell, you may have a severe kidney problem. If so, contact your doctor immediately.
Advice
- Munch on apples or carrots between meals - they will help you remove any food residue hidden between your teeth.
- Buy a new toothbrush every six weeks to make sure there is no buildup of bacteria on its surface.
- Also replace your "tongue cleaner" toothbrush frequently.
Warnings
- Deep cavities can form at the base of teeth that are not regularly flossed. During meals they will be filled with food particles that will tend to decompose and cause the proliferation of germs and bad breath; they can also give rise to painful dental abscesses.
- Xylitol can be toxic to pets - keep your gum out of their reach.
- Keep tooth decay at bay by having a dental checkup every six months. This will ensure that you prevent the build-up and solidification of tartar (a form of calcified dental plaque) and other minerals contained in saliva. These deposits erode the base of the teeth in contact with the gums and, over the years, cause them to fall out and form painful abscesses.
