This annoying complaint affects millions of people and has fuelled a multimillion-dollar-a-year industry. Strict oral hygiene and natural remedies can provide relief. And if bad breath persists, careful dental or medical detective work often uncovers a correctable underlying cause.
What it is?
Whether it’s called bad breath or halitosis, nobody wants an unpleasant odor emanating from his or her mouth. In simplest cases, this problem can be traced back to smoking, drinking alcohol, or eating foods notorious for their lingering odors, including garlic, onions, and anchovies. But sometimes the problem is caused by an underlying medical condition and can become chronic.
What causes It
Bad breath usually results from the multiplication of odor-causing bacteria in the mouth. The drier your mouth, the more bacteria thrive. Any condition that reduces saliva production can contribute to bad breath – including advancing age, breathing through the mouth, crash diets (the less food you chew, the less saliva you produce), certain medications, and even the time of day (‘Morning breath’ occurs because salivation is considerably reduced during sleep.) Bacteria may also collect on the tongue, in food debris that accumulates on dentures, and the teeth – especially when plaque or cavities are present if bad breath persists, underlying gum disease, a chronic sinus infection, or poor digestion of foods is often the cause.
How supplements can help ?
How supplements can help Natural strategies for combating bad breath works best in combination with regular and thorough oral hygiene, including flossing and brushing the teeth, as well as brushing the teeth, as well as brushing the tongue (especially the back part), where odour-causing bacteria are likely to flourish.
Place Just a drop or two of peppermint oil on the tongue a couple of times a day – larger amounts of the pure oil may cause digestive upset. Peppermint oil has a pleasant taste and aroma and is also effective in killing bacteria. Drinking peppermint or spearmint teas, as well as plenty of plain water, may also help to fight bad breath by keeping the mouth moist.
Another approach is to chew on several fennel seeds, anise seeds, or cloves to freshen the breath; they can be carried in a small, sealed container.
Fresh parsley has a similar effect; it’s also high in chlorophyll (the chemical that gives plants their green colour). It has long been recognized as a powerful breath freshener and detoxifies odours caused by poorly digested foods. Chlorophyll is also found in ‘green’ drinks containing spirulina, wheat grass, chlorella, or other herbs. These are best swished around the mouth, then swallowed, or try spirulina tablets should be chewed thoroughly.