How can I reduce bad breath naturally?

How to get rid of bad breath naturally?

Bad breath can make you feel less confident, especially in your work and social life.

The best way to prevent bad breath is to take good care of your teeth and gums and see a dental professional for regular checks. Cleaning your tongue is also important too to keep your mouth clean. Gently cleaning your tongue at night can remove bacteria and trapped food. You can use a toothbrush or tongue scraper.

There are also simple approaches you can take to help with bad breath. These are only short-term measures and shouldn’t replace brushing your teeth and cleaning in-between your teeth.

Here are some natural ways of getting rid of bad breath.

1. Drink plenty of water

Water is important for your body, including your teeth and gums. It washes away bacteria, and helps you make saliva. Your saliva is your mouth’s natural protection against bacteria that cause bad breath. Staying hydrated can also really help with dry mouth (xerostomia). This is when you can’t make enough saliva. It can be caused by certain medications, cancer treatment, and aging. Because of the reduced saliva, dry mouth can lead to bad breath.

Whenever you feel that your mouth is getting dry, drink water to replenish your body’s ability to create saliva. It might help to keep a water bottle with you. Juice, coffee, tea and fizzy drinks can make your mouth dry, so aren’t ideal as a way to stay hydrated.

2. Chew sugar free gum

Another way to prevent or help dry mouth is chewing sugar free gum or sucking sugar free mints. This helps you make saliva and can freshen your breath. Try chewing gum or mints after meals and between brushing.

3. Use a saltwater rinse

Saltwater has many uses for problems with your mouth and gums. For example, it can be used to help healing after an operation or soothe a sore throat. It can also be used for bad breath, as rinsing with saltwater increases the pH of your mouth. This can make it hard for bacteria to survive.

A saltwater rinse can be an easy way to get rid of bad breath, particularly if you can’t reach a toothbrush or mouthwash. Just put half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water and then rinse for about 30 seconds. It’s best to do this only a few times a day.

4. Start your day with breakfast

Having something to eat in the morning could help to keep your breath fresh. This is because it helps you to produce saliva, which helps to clear bacteria in your mouth. So, if you can, try to have something to eat before you start your day. It could even be something small like a piece of toast.

Ideally brush your teeth before breakfast, or at least 30 minutes after eating to protect the tooth enamel from acid erosion.

5. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables

Crunchy fruits and vegetables, such as carrots, celery and apples are often referred to as ‘nature’s toothbrushes’. They contain a lot of fibre and they encourage chewing. The chewing action physically removes bacteria from your teeth. It also helps you make saliva which helps to clear away bacteria and ensure fresher breath.

6. Chew aromatic herbs and seeds

Chewing on cloves, fennel seeds and cardamom seeds can help to get rid of bad breath, and also freshen your breath. These herbs and other plants have antibacterial properties so can kill bacteria that cause bad breath and often have a strong and pleasant scent. Chewing them can also increase saliva. If you don’t want to chew, you might like to try making teas using herbs.

7. Sip green or black tea

Drinking green or black tea can help to stop the growth of bacteria that cause bad breath. If you normally drink coffee or a fizzy drink, try swapping it for green or black tea from time to time. Remember to also drink plenty of water as tea can stain your teeth .

8. Swish your mouth with oil

Oil pulling is an ancient practice which has been used for cleansing impurities from the body and the mouth. This is where you swish a teaspoon of edible oil (such as coconut, sesame, sunflower, or olive oil) in your mouth. It is thought that this can reduce bacteria and plaque build-up that cause bad breath. But there needs to be more research to see if this works well.

If you want to try it, take a teaspoon of oil and swish in your mouth for 10 to 20 minutes and spit out. Make sure you don’t swallow the oil.

9. Pick up some probiotic foods

You may have seen probiotic food products such as yoghurt and kefir that promote gut health . These work by increasing the amount of good bacteria in your gut, to outnumber the amount of bad bacteria. In a similar way, probiotics can also reduce the levels of harmful bacteria in your mouth that cause bad breath. Probiotic rich foods include yoghurt, kefir, kimchi, and miso.

When should I seek help for bad breath?

You might find the above tips helpful, but they are mostly temporary fixes for bad breath. The best way to prevent bad breath is to take good care of your teeth and gums and see a dental professional for regular checks . Your dental professional or doctor can help if you need treatment for what’s causing your bad breath.