Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Oral Hygiene
• Part 2 of 3: Changing your diet and lifestyle
• Part 3 of 3: Signs of Bad Breath
• Warnings

Bad breath, or scientifically halitosis, can appear in everyone from time to time. It can occur for a variety of reasons, including dry mouth, eating foods high in protein, sugar or acid, and smoking. Certain diseases and tooth decay can also cause halitosis.Fortunately, it is possible to prevent bad breath if you take proper care of your oral cavity and make some changes in your diet and lifestyle.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Oral Hygiene

1. 1 Brush your teeth thoroughly. Thorough brushing of your teeth is the first thing to do if you want to get rid of bad breath. Brush your teeth at least twice a day, for 2 minutes, covering the entire mouth. Pay special attention to the places where the teeth meet the gums.
   • Use a soft bristled brush. Change your brush every 3-4 months.
   • Brush your teeth before meals or an hour after meals (otherwise you may damage the enamel of your teeth).
   • Remember to brush your tongue. Many bacteria form on the tongue, which can cause bad breath. The tongue should be cleaned from back to front, as well as on the sides. Do not brush your tongue more than four times, and do not try to brush too far, or you may induce a gag reflex.
2. 2 Use dental floss. Dental floss is an important element in helping to maintain oral health. Dental floss helps to clean out the gaps between teeth - where the toothbrush is powerless. Floss at least once a day.
   • With dental floss, you can remove food debris that decays between your teeth and causes an unpleasant odor.
   • When cleaning the spaces between your teeth with dental floss, also remember to clean the areas where the tooth meets the gum. Be sure to go over the side of one tooth first and then the other tooth.
3. 3 Try baking soda. Brushing your teeth with baking soda at least once a week can help kill odor-causing bacteria. Just grab a toothbrush, sprinkle a pinch of baking soda on top of it, and brush your teeth as you normally would.
   • You can use baking soda to rinse your mouth. Just dissolve half a teaspoon of baking soda in a little water and rinse your mouth with this liquid. Do not swallow the liquid and rinse the entire mouth thoroughly.
   • Baking soda neutralizes acids that accumulate on the teeth and under the tongue.
4. 4 See your dentist regularly. Regular visits to your dentist are essential to maintain oral health and prevent unpleasant odor. Your dentist or orthodontist can give you a thorough cleaning of your teeth, gums, and entire mouth.
   • The dentist will tell you what may be causing the unpleasant odor: a problem with your teeth, just food and drinks, or poor-quality teeth cleaning.
   • If you have halitosis, and you are thoroughly observing oral hygiene, then you should definitely see your dentist.
5. 5 Chew sugar-free gum. Similar to water, menthol sugar-free gum can help speed up the production of saliva in your mouth and get rid of bad bacteria. In addition, it can mask an unpleasant odor, even if only temporarily.
   • Use sugar-free menthol gum. Sugar is food for bacteria, which causes bad smell, that is, sugar can only aggravate the situation.
   • Sugar-free chewing gum is superior to mint and will show its effect within five minutes.
   • Xylitol chewing gums can be especially effective in combating bad breath, protect against tooth decay and have a beneficial effect on enamel by filling teeth with beneficial minerals.
6. 6 Use mouthwash. Mouthwash is another way to quickly combat bad breath. However, as with the previous methods, mouthwash only has a temporary effect and only hides the odor rather than combating its causes.
   • An antiseptic mouthwash kills bacteria, so it does little more than freshen your breath.Choose a liquid with chlorhexidine, cetylpyridine chloride, chlorine dioxide, zinc chloride, or triclosan as these substances kill bacteria.
   • Try not to use chlorhexidine mouthwashes for long periods of time, as they can stain the enamel of your teeth (although this is a reversible process).
   • Try not to use mouthwashes that contain alcohol, as they can lead to some types of cancer.
   • Be sure to rinse your entire mouth and gargle.

Part 2 of 3: Changing your diet and lifestyle

1. 1 Drink plenty of water. Dry mouth can be one of the causes of bad breath. Not drinking enough water can exacerbate the problem of unpleasant odor. The water is odorless and helps wash away food debris that bacteria like. Water also promotes the production of saliva, and saliva is known to cleanse the mouth and remove odor-causing substances.
   • Do not use coffee, soda, or alcohol for mouthwash. They do not help in any way against an unpleasant odor, but more often, on the contrary, serve as its cause.
   • Dehydration is often accompanied by bad breath. Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration and thus halitosis.
2. 2 Eat fiber-rich foods. Fresh and crunchy foods (often fruits and vegetables) not only help clean your teeth, but also get rid of unpleasant odors. They have a beneficial effect on digestion and remove toxins from the body.
   • Try not to eat or drink foods that contain sugar. For a snack, eat an apple or something proteinaceous, not a sweet bar.
   • Don't drink acidic drinks. They have a bad effect not only on bad breath, but also on the condition of the teeth, since they destroy enamel. Do not drink carbonated drinks, and if you have to drink them, then drink through a straw or very quickly without holding it in your mouth. When you drink this drink, be sure to rinse your mouth with water.
   • Avoid drinking coffee and alcoholic beverages, as they only provoke the growth of bacteria in the mouth that cause bad odor. These drinks also dry out the mouth, which can trap bacteria in the mouth.
3. 3 Do not smoke or use chewing tobacco. There are many reasons why you should quit smoking or quit chewing tobacco, for example, it can cause cancer. In addition, tobacco causes bad breath. Smokers always smell tobacco in their mouths, and often the smoker's breath is compared to the smell of an ashtray. The easiest way to avoid bad breath in this case is to quit smoking.
   • Smoking and chewing tobacco can cause gum disease and more serious illnesses, in addition to unpleasant odors.
   • Smoking causes teeth to turn yellow and tobacco smoke irritates the gums. Quit smoking to maintain oral health.
4. 4 Eat foods rich in vitamin D. Vitamin D inhibits the growth of bacteria in the mouth. You can increase your vitamin D intake by adding more foods and drinks fortified with this vitamin to your diet, but a more effective and simpler way to do this is to be in the sun more often.
   • Eat plain, sugar-free yogurt at least once a day. Probiotic yogurt helps to get rid of bad breath by reducing sulfide levels.
   • Eat more vitamin D-rich foods such as oily fish (salmon, tuna, and mackerel), and some mushrooms also contain vitamin D.
   • You can also take vitamin D supplements. The recommended amount of vitamin D per day is 600 IU for people 1 to 70 years old and 800 IU for people over 70 years old.
5. 5 Use herbs and spices. Chewing raw parsley can help cleanse your teeth and mouth and get rid of bad odor. Cardamom, whole or ground, also freshens the breath.Chewing fennel seeds can be helpful, especially if you've eaten something spicy. You can also brush your teeth with fennel seed powder after meals.
   • Chewing the mint leaves relieves bad breath. Even mint tea or boiled mint leaves can be beneficial.
   • Sprinkle some salt on a wedge of lemon and eat the pulp - this simple trick can help get rid of bad breath if you've eaten onions, garlic, or other strong-smelling foods.
6. 6 Drink more black or green tea. Tea contains polyphenols that remove sulfur compounds and reduce bacteria in the mouth. Tea, unlike coffee, does not dry out the oral cavity, but, on the contrary, saturates the body with water. Drink hot unsweetened tea several times a day and you will definitely notice the difference.
   • Green tea is rich in antioxidants and kills bad bacteria in the mouth. It also helps to neutralize the unpleasant odor of garlic.
   • Both black and green tea are obtained from the leaves of Chinese camellia. Black tea is the most popular drink in the world, second only to water in popularity.

Part 3 of 3: Signs of Bad Breath

1. 1 Check for bad breath. It can be difficult to know when you have bad breath sometimes, but there are a few easy ways to find out.
   • Lick the inside of your wrist and wait five minutes. Smell. If you have bad breath, you should be able to smell bad breath on your skin.
   • Touch clean gauze to your tongue and smell it. If the gauze smells bad, then your mouth smells bad.
2. 2 Bad taste in the mouth. If you have a bad taste in your mouth, chances are, your mouth smell is bad too. Sometimes, after eating, you may smell the foods you have eaten. Very often, garlic, onions and very spicy foods can leave an unpleasant odor in your mouth.
   • The easiest way to get rid of bad breath caused by food you eat is.
   • If you notice an unpleasant taste in your mouth that has nothing to do with the foods you ate, then you may need to see your doctor, as bad breath can be a sign of various diseases, such as strep throat.
3. 3 Use a galimeter. If the problem of bad breath persists, the doctor may use a halimeter. The galimeter is a special tool that allows you to "read" the breath, we can say that it analyzes the breath, in much the same way as the device used by traffic police officers.
   • The halimeter does not influence the cause of bad breath in any way, but it can provide more information about the source of the problem. If you understand the causes of bad breath, you can cure the corresponding disease, and therefore get rid of halitosis.
   • Bad breath is usually caused by one of three substances: dimethyl sulfide, hydrogen sulfide, or methyl mercaptan. Once your doctor has determined what substance is present in your breath, he will be able to understand the cause of the unpleasant odor and suggest treatment.

Warnings

• Bad breath can be a sign of oral cancer. Other signs of oral cancer are bumps or white, red, or dark spots in the mouth, difficulty chewing, swallowing, or moving the jaw, feeling something stuck in the throat, feeling numb, thickened cheeks, or a change in voice. If you notice any of these symptoms, see your doctor.