Curing bad breath is important for your career, self-esteem and intimacy with others. Luckily most often bad breath is caused by habits that you can remedy or counter.
For example you can stop smoking, chewing tobacco or drinking alcohol, which will help in curing bad breath by removing the cause. You can take better care of your oral hygiene and heal any gum disease, which will cure bad breath by eliminating bacteria. You can also enrich the population of healthy bacteria in your body and keep yourself dehydrated, which will help in curing bad breath before it starts.
How to Tell If You Have Bad Breath
The problem with curing bad breath is that people who suffer from it often don’t realize it. Since bad breath is mostly caused by bacteria on the tongue, you can tell if you have bad breath by licking the back of your hand with your full tongue. Wait three seconds, then smell your hand. If it smells bad, you need to take a look at these tips for curing bad breath.
#1. Salt Rinse or Lemon Rinse
Curing bad breath with a salt rinse is a very old cure that has passed from generation to generation. The salt will kill bacteria in your mouth and help heal any gum disease. Just mix 1/2 tsp. of salt with half a cup of warm water, stir well and rinse your mouth with the solution before you go to sleep. Do this for a few days and you’ll see that your gums look more pink than red, and you have cured your bad breath.
Curing bad breath with a lemon rinse is another alternative, since the high acidic content in lemon prevents the growth of bacteria on the tongue and gums. You can even create a mixture of salt and lemon and rinse before bedtime to cure bad breath.
#2. Baking Soda
Baking soda has been found very effective in curing bad breath, because the high acidity of baking soda will prevent bacteria from growing on your tongue. Therefore, brush your teeth with a baking-soda rich toothpaste, or just follow with baking soda after your regular toothpaste. You can also gargle with baking soda dissolved in warm water.
#3. Chew on Mint Leaves and Sun Flower Seeds
These two home remedies for curing bad breath work on cleansing your mouth and spreading a fresh scent through it. Chew on sun flower seeds after meals and drink water to help cleanse your mouth and cure bad breath that may linger due to odor causing foods. And munch on mint leaves to spread a fresh scent through your mouth, which will prove effective in curing bad breath in consequence.
#4. Eat Probiotic Yogurt
Probiotics like acidophilus are very effective in curing bad breath when consumed regularly. Eating yogurt rich in healthy bacteria will help in curing bad breath completely with time, so long as you keep consuming probiotics to keep the population of odor causing bacteria in check.
#5. Avoid Sugar
Refined sugar is especially bad for your teeth and will result in cavities, which in turn will result in bad breath. One of the best tips for curing bad breath is to avoid refined sugars in cookies, candy, and even in your coffee. Use brown sugar instead and in small amounts as sugar will also increase the dryness of your mouth, which is a cause of bad breath.
#6. Drink Water, Tea or Pineapple Juice
Just as with anything else in life, curing bad breath by drinking water is easy and good for you. Water will keep your stomach and tongue hydrated and clean, preventing bacteria buildup and curing bad breath.
In addition, curing bad breath with hot, unsweetened tea has been found effective due to the antiseptic properties of tea. While for its high acidic content, Pineapple juice has been found effective in curing bad breath as well.
#7. Drink Fenugreek Tea
Fenugreek seeds ( methi seeds) have been proven effective in curing bad breath. Simmer 1 tsp. of seeds in 2 cups of water for a quarter of an hour, then strain the tea and drink it to cure bad breath.
#8. Prevent Constipation
Be sure to exercise regularly and eat a high-fiber diet that will keep your bowl movements regular and help in curing bad breath caused by constipation.
#9. Chew Cloves or Cardamom Seeds
Both cloves and cardamom seeds have been found effective in curing bad breath, especially if chewed after meal times.
#10. Oral Hygiene
It may seem obvious, but curing bad breath with proper oral hygiene is an essential starting point. Be sure to floss as well, which will assist in curing bad breath due to gum disease. And choose a toothpaste that does not dry your mouth.
Conclusion
Finally, though curing bad breath with alcohol rich mouthwashes may feel effective immediately after rinsing, this is a very superficial solution that solves nothing. Just as you can’t get clean by dousing yourself in perfume, so you can only cure bad breath for good if you target the root cause.