Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 4: Maintain Oral Hygiene
• Method 2 of 4: Change Your Habits
• Method 3 of 4: Change Your Diet
• Method 4 of 4: See a doctor
• Tips
• Warnings
• Additional articles

There are many ways to mask bad breath. But if you are tired of quick fixes and want to get rid of the bad smell once and for all, here are some tips.

Steps

Method 1 of 4: Maintain Oral Hygiene

1. 1 First, it's important to get it right brush your teeth. Bacteria and rotting food debris are the two main sources of bad breath. There are many places in the mouth where food debris can get stuck. Some places are very difficult to reach with a toothbrush.
   • Hold your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to your gums. Brush your teeth from each surface (do a few forward movements). Do not press too hard on the brush to avoid damaging your gums. In general, brushing your teeth should take about three minutes if you do it right.
   • Brush your teeth and rinse your mouth at least twice a day. Make sure to floss at least once a day.
   • It is important to brush not only your teeth, but also your gums and tongue.
2. 2 Necessarily brush your tongue. Brushing your teeth is not enough. The upper and lateral surfaces of the tongue are covered with special formations - taste buds, between which bacteria can inhabit and multiply, which cause bad breath. Cleaning your tongue and removing plaque plays a big role in eliminating bad breath.
   • Buy a tongue brush (such as Orabrush). The tongue can be brushed with a regular soft toothbrush.
   • The tongue needs to be cleaned with translational movements (back and forth). After each movement, rinse the brush with water.
   • If you are not good at coping with the gag reflex, brush your tongue very gently. In this article you will find some helpful tips on this: "How to deal with the gag reflex."
3. 3 Use every day dental floss. Brushing your teeth is important for keeping your teeth healthy and eliminating bad breath. Flossing should become as much a habit as brushing your teeth.
   • Keep in mind that your gums may bleed if you suddenly brush out any food debris that is stuck between your teeth. After brushing your teeth, floss. If you have the guts, you can sniff the thread after use and you will know where the bad smell comes from.
4. 4 Use a mouthwash. Mouthwash helps keep your mouth moist and eliminates bad odor.
   • Choose a mouthwash that contains chlorine dioxide. Many bacteria that cause bad breath live on the top of the tongue, near the root of the tongue, where a regular toothbrush cannot reach. Fortunately, a chlorine dioxide-containing mouthwash can help eliminate these bacteria.
   • Rinse your mouth before brushing your teeth, flossing, and before brushing your tongue. Then use your mouthwash again.

Method 2 of 4: Change Your Habits

1. 1 Get in the habit of chewing gum after meals. Chewing gum can help combat bad breath because chewing stimulates the production of saliva. Some gum removes odor better than others:
   • Cinnamon-flavored chewing gum is effective against oral microorganisms.
   • Chewing gum sweetened with xylitol (sugar is a food for bacteria, causing even more problems). Xylitol is a sugar substitute that will help prevent bacteria from growing in your mouth.
2. 2 Keep your mouth moist at all times. Dry mouth is one of the main causes of bad breath. This is why in the morning when you wake up, you have a bad mouth sensation and possibly an unpleasant odor. The fact is that during sleep less saliva is produced, and saliva actively fights against bad breath. She not only washes the teeth, ridding them of bacteria and food debris, but also has antiseptic properties.
   • Chewing stimulates the production of saliva (besides, as mentioned above, chewing gum "masks" an unpleasant odor). Peppermint does not stimulate saliva.
   • Drink plenty of water. Caress your teeth by passing water between the tooth spaces. Thus, you will not only rinse your mouth, but also increase the production of saliva. See this article for more details: How to Drink More Water Every Day.
   • Dry mouth can be caused by certain medications as well as medical reasons. Talk to your doctor if you are considering switching to other drugs.
3. 3 Stop smoking and chewing tobacco. This habit is not only harmful to the health of the body. Remember that tobacco causes bad breath.
   • It is not so easy to get rid of addiction. If you need any advice, read this helpful article.
   • Be aware that in rare cases, very bad breath can be an early symptom of smoking-related oral cancer. It is very important to get rid of this bad habit as early as possible and consult a doctor so that he assesses your condition.

Method 3 of 4: Change Your Diet

1. 1 Eliminate odorous foods from your diet. The smell of the foods we eat is absorbed into the tissues of the mouth, which is why the smell can persist for several hours after eating. So try to eliminate these foods from your diet (or at least brush your teeth after eating).
   • Some vegetables (like onions, garlic, leeks) have a very specific smell. Eating these foods neat or as a seasoning will definitely affect your breath. Of course, these foods are very beneficial for the body as a whole, so you shouldn't give up on them, just try not to eat them before leaving home.
   • Keep in mind that even brushing your teeth will not completely eliminate the peculiar smell of garlic or onion.The fact is that these products are gradually digested, many substances enter the bloodstream, and then into the lungs, where gas exchange takes place. Thus, the smell is felt when you exhale. If you eat a lot of these foods, try to cut back on your intake a little to eliminate bad breath.
2. 2 Try to drink less coffee and alcoholic beverages. The chemical compounds in these drinks affect the tissues of the oral cavity, which creates favorable conditions for the growth of bacteria.
   • If you cannot refuse these drinks, after drinking them, rinse your mouth with water and baking soda (in a ratio of 8: 1, respectively), and after 30 minutes brush your teeth.
   • Avoid brushing your teeth immediately after drinking alcoholic beverages and coffee (or acidic foods and drinks). Immediately after eating, teeth are vulnerable to abrasion.
3. 3 Consume slow carbohydrates. Did you know that some people who follow a low-carb diet may experience "ketone respiration"? The fact is that with a lack of carbohydrates, our body breaks down fats to obtain energy, creating ketones, which come to a free state in the oral cavity. Ketones are the cause of unpleasant odors. If you have been on a strict low-carb diet or any other diet that burns fat instead of carbs, you should start consuming fruits such as apples and bananas, which contain carbs.
   • It should be noted that fruits with a high content of vitamin C (citrus fruits) contain substances that actively fight harmful bacteria. And bacteria are the main cause of bad breath.
   • For the same reason, halitosis occurs in many fasting people (for religious reasons) as well as in people with anorexia. If you are one of these people, you should reconsider your diet and start consuming more carbohydrates. More information can be found in this article: "Coping with anorexia".

Method 4 of 4: See a doctor

1. 1 See your doctor. If you've already taken all of the steps above and still has bad breath, you may need to see your doctor.
   • Bad breath can be an early symptom of a medical condition. If you have already started to practice good hygiene and changed your diet, and bad breath still persists, an infection or other medical condition may be the cause.
2. 2 Examine your tonsils for plugs. The plugs are formed from calcified food debris, mucus and bacteria and appear as white spots on the surface of the tonsils. These clusters are often mistaken for a symptom of a throat infection (strep throat), although the clusters are too small and difficult to see in the mirror.
   • Tonsil plugs are usually not very harmful, but they cause bad breath. If you notice a white bloom on your tonsils, try rubbing it gently with a cotton swab, but be careful not to hurt yourself. Don't press too hard. If after doing this you find liquid or pus on the cotton swab, most likely you really have an infection. But if there is no liquid on the stick, and a piece of white matter exfoliates from the tonsils, most likely it is a cork. You will smell and understand for sure.
   • You may also notice a metallic taste in your mouth or discomfort when swallowing.
3. 3 You may have diabetic ketoacidosis. If you have diabetes, chances are your body burns fat instead of carbohydrates, which releases ketones - chemicals that cause bad breath.
   • Another cause of bad breath can be metformin, a medication for type 2 diabetes. Talk to your doctor about this and ask about the possibility of switching to an alternative drug.
4. 4 Let's consider other possible reasons. There are many diseases that are symptomatic of bad breath. These include:
   • Trimethylaminuria. If the body is unable to process the substance trimethylamine, it will be contained in saliva, causing an unpleasant odor. This substance can also be released in sweat, so body odor can also be a symptom of this condition.
   • Infection. There are several types of infection. You may have sinusitis or a stomach infection that leads to bad breath. If you develop any unusual symptoms, including bad breath, you should see your doctor to rule out the possibility of a serious illness.
   • Kidney disease or kidney failure. If you notice a metallic taste in your mouth and smell of ammonia, you may have kidney problems. If you find this symptom, see your doctor.

Tips

• Chew apples or carrots between meals. This will help get rid of any food debris that might be stuck in your teeth.
• Change your toothbrush every 6 weeks to prevent bacteria from growing on it.
• Change your toothbrush every three months.

Warnings

• Do not chew xylitol gum if you have pets. It can be toxic to dogs.
• Floss your interdental spaces. It is there that most food residues accumulate, which begin to decompose, contributing to the growth of bacteria. It can cause bad breath and also lead to mouth abscesses.
• Get professional dental cleaning and hygiene every 6 months to avoid dental problems. This will prevent the buildup of tartar and plaque, as well as other substances released from saliva. Usually, plaque builds up in the spaces between the teeth and gums, and over time it turns into tartar and can cause serious dental problems and even abscesses.

Additional articles

How to deal with a gag reflex How to make toothpaste How to keep your toothbrush clean How to get rid of bad breath quickly How to get rid of congestion in the tonsils How to relieve uvula swelling How to remove food from holes left after wisdom teeth extraction How to heal a bitten tongue How to heal a cut on your tongue How to get rid of pimples on the tongue How to get rid of pus in your throat How to eat when you can't chew How to remove denture adhesive from gums How to remove surgical staples