Kiss Bad Breath Goodbye
(WellnessPursuits.com) – While your sweetheart might joke about your morning breath, it’s no laughing matter. Bad breath is embarrassing, especially when you notice people holding their breath when you reach in to give them a hug, or worse, a kiss. Nobody wants noxious kisses! Here’s 10 tips to give bad breath the slip.
More Saliva Please
Chewing fresh mint leaves or sugar-free gum after meals helps clean your teeth and stimulate more saliva in your mouth. When you can’t brush after you eat, foul-smelling volatile sulphur compounds build up. Flush these fiends with some extra spit.
Drown Germs
Just like saliva is your friend, so is water. Drinking plenty of the life-giving nectar keeps your mouth from drying out. A dry mouth is a breeding ground for bad breath, so drown those germs with an extra helping of H2O.
Check Your Meds
Sudden smelly mouth becoming a problem? The medications you take could be the culprit. Some drugs for allergies, depression and high-blood pressure can give you a major case of cotton mouth, which is going to bring on the stink. Talk to your doctor about potential alternatives.
Chew Crunchy Munchies
Crunchy fruits and vegetables, like apples, pears, carrots and cucumbers are an important part of a balanced diet, and these munchies increase saliva. Remember, saliva is the good bacteria rinse agent!
Go Green
In your tea, that is. Green tea contains catechin. This antioxidant packs a powerful punch when it comes to fending off the bacteria that causes bad breath.
Yogurt – The Sweet Smell of Dessert
Similar to green tea, the probiotics or good bacteria in yogurt is the champ at knocking out bad bacteria, which can include overpowering the foul smelling kind, too.
Brush Bad Breath Away
Brushing and flossing isn’t just good for your teeth and gums, it can also help give bad breath the brush off. Good oral hygiene is the most crucial step in your bad breath battle. It helps eliminate the bacteria that lives in your mouth and causes stinky halitosis. Be sure to also thoroughly clean your tongue and follow each cleaning with a shot of chlorine dioxide mouthwash — bad breath’s mortal enemy!
Eat Your Spinach
Green vegetables contain chlorophyll, which helps freshen your breath. So, spinach may have made Popeye stronger, but it’ll help your bad breath get weaker. Steer clear of foods with strong smells, and limit alcohol, caffeine and dairy products, which can all cause bad breath.
Smoking Equals Bad Breath
If you’re a smoker, bad breath is guaranteed. Smoking dries out your mouth quickly. See previous tip. Adding tar and nicotine to the mix makes an already unpleasant odor more complex. If you want fresher breath, it might be time to ditch the cigs. They’re bad for you anyway.
Natural Breath Mints
Whether chewing parsley is just an old wive’s tale or not, it never hurts to try every trick. The oils in many herbs and spices help destroy odorous bacteria. If you’re not a parsley fan, try coriander or cilantro, cardamom, cinnamon eucalyptus, rosemary, spearmint or tarragon.
While odor-fighting foods are temporary fixes for your raunchy breath, you can give bad breath the boot regularly by following good oral hygiene practices daily. Before you pucker up for your next smooch, be sure bad breath is knocked out of the pecking order. Keep your mouth moist and clean and kiss bad breath goodbye!
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