How to beat bad breath
How to beat bad breath - More than 300 species of bacteria inhabit our mouth. Ninety percent of these cause bad breath due to the accumulation of sulfur on the tongue surface and the bottom of the throat. Sulfur is an element that helps in preparing food for digestion.
Bad breath causes
There are many reasons that increase bacteria and sulfur in the mouth causing annoying bad breath, such as:
- Eating a lot of proteins contained in meat and cheese.
- Eating food that ferments in the colon, such as sugar and onion, causing growth of bacteria.
- Some medications that cause dry throat, such as anti-biotics and anti-allergy.
- Fungus, tooth decay, gum inflammation, mouth and tongue ulcers.
- Old fillings may also cause bad breath.
Methods to check your breath
Many people are not aware of their bad breath as it is hard to recognize that by oneself. Here are some methods that help you to check your breath:
- Lick the back of your hand, and wait until the saliva dries out so that the sulfur sticks on your skin and becomes easy to detect.
- Stand in front of a mirror and stick your tongue out. If you notice a yellow layer covering its center, then it is an indication of sulfur accumulation.
Simple solutions
When you have a social occasion, try to avoid foods that cause bacterial accumulation, such as onion and garlic.
Drink a lot of water, with an average of eight cups per day. This will help produce saliva that is directly responsible for eliminating sulfur and protecting the oral cavity against bacterial accumulation.
Teeth cleanliness
- Make sure to clean your teeth at least twice a day with no less than two minutes of brushing, especially after having meals that contain fermenting substances such as carbohydrates.
- Use your toothbrush to scrape the residue from your tongue.
- Change your toothbrush once in every three months.
- Flossing your teeth helps getting rid of food particles between the teeth.
- Make sure to pay an annual visit to the dentist to ensure your teeth are healthy and that you do not have tooth decay.
Tricky solutions
Using mouthwash products and mint chewing gums are futile in removing bad breath as they only offer a temporary solution and not a radical one. Most of these products contain alcohol and sugar which dry out the mouth, hence the quantity of saliva, which is the natural mouth-cleaner, reduces. Instead of these, choose alcohol-free products and sugar-free mint flavored candies.
Natural remedies
- You can rub a few drops of tea tree oil, which has an effective role in combating viruses and fungus on your gums. You may also mix the oil with your toothpaste.
- Raw almond is a good choice for eliminating annoying mouth smell, including garlic.
- Celery and carrots help in removing sulfur leavings in the mouth, the tongue and the bottom of the throat due to their richness in fiber and water.
- Adding lemon slices to a cup of water helps eliminating bad breath.
- Chewing sugar-free gum after meals helps produce more saliva, which in turn will help in getting rid of a large number of bacteria.
Email: Life.style@arabnews.com
This article originally appeared in : How to beat bad breath | arabnews.com | MOHAMMED NAGADI | Published — Wednesday 4 June 2014
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