Come on, admit it. You’ve suffered from bad breath. Most people do. It is a common ailment… one that is more prevalent in countries like India in hot and humid conditions. It is a disease prevalent in people who eat junk food mostly and then forget to wash their mouth. Bad breath is one big annoyance in life. The good news is that it can be cured by simple home-made remedies. But first, one needs to know how bad breath originates. Once you know that half the cure is done.
Bad breath starts with what you put in your mouth. Garlic for lunch? A late-morning latte? They taste delicious, but consider yourself warned.
Although garlic and coffee are two main offenders, other eats like onions and spicy food also can be the cause for bad breath. The odours of these food enter your bloodstream and head right to your lungs, coming out with each exhale.
Then there is the process of food ‘trapped’ in the mouth. After a meal, any food particles that remain between your teeth, in your gums, or on your tongue can release their odoir into your breath. It gets worse as the food decays. So without good care of your teeth and gums, this stuck food can set off a cascade of events leading to gum disease.
But here are the solutions to prevent bad breath.
Avoid tobacco: Be it cigarette or chewing tobacco, stay away from it. Tobacco can leave stains inside the mouth causing bad breath. So the best is to avoid tobacco.
Prevent dry mouth: The saliva’s job is to serve as a continuous rinse cycle for the mouth. If you don’t have enough, the mouth loses its freshness fast. In fact, morning breath is worse for people who sleep with their mouths open. A dry mouth is a smelly mouth. So keeping the mouth wet is an important aspect. Do salivate a lot.
Clean teeth: Brush, floss and rinse regularly… daily. Not only do they prevent odour-causing plaque from building up in the mouth, but brushing, flossing and rinsing are healthy for gums and teeth, too. Even if one cannot brush teeth after every meal, a good washing of the mouth with water will wash away the food ‘trapped’ within prevent bad breath.
Scrape tongue: It is important to maintain the tongue like the teeth. Hence once should scrape the tongue with every brush as it will clean the bacteria accumulating on it and causing bad breath. You certainly won’t want your partner to shy away as you go for a kiss due to bad breath.
Use mouthwash or dental rinse. Antiseptic mouthwash can help kill bacteria that cause bad breath and plaque that can lead to ‘gingivitis’, an early, mild form of gum disease. Adding a fluoride rinse to one’s daily routine can help prevent tooth decay.
Drink water: Bad breath can be caused by weight loss too. So drinking plenty of water can dilute the chemicals that cause the odours. Water also helps wash away bacteria and food particles.
Simple methods; aren’t they, easy to add to the daily routine, but most of the time we forget to do so. So do implement these and say good bye to bad breath and yellow teeth.
PNN & Agencies
