6 Fast-Acting Tips to Fix Bad Breath and Not Use Mouthwash

These Simple Ideas Can Make a World of Difference in Your Daily Life
Do people recoil when you’re talking to them and cover their noses? Do people offer to call you on the phone when you request a face to face meeting? Get a clue you’ve probably got really bad breath! For a lot of people, the answer to bad breath is mouthwash. But what if the taste of mouthwash is a complete turn-off for you? Then try these six fast-acting tips:
Brush & Floss Regularly
Your mouth is a playground for a vast array of different bacteria. Some are harmless while others perform useful functions in a healthy mouth. If you’re a smoker though, or you don’t brush and floss regularly, then you’re asking for trouble. Food gets trapped in the teeth and it starts to rot and with that comes that oh-so-unpleasant odor.
It’s important to brush and floss at least twice a day. Most of the damage to teeth is done at night. Bacteria that break down food particles produce acids that eventually break down the dentin and enamel on the surface of the tooth, leading to tooth decay and bad breath.
If you’ve done everything you can to try to maintain a clean mouth but still have halitosis, then it’s probably time for a trip to the dentist. Often your teeth will just require a good cleaning to remove the layer of plaque that builds up and can harbor unfriendly, stink-producing bacteria.
Also pay attention to your tongue the tongue can hide a lot of secrets, especially harmful bacteria. After flossing and cleaning your teeth thoroughly, you can either use a specially-designed tongue scraper for removing some of the thousands of bacteria living on your tongue or give it a quick scrub with your toothbrush
Stay Hydrated
When a mouth becomes devoid of saliva, odor-causing bacteria can thrive. Saliva contains oxygen that deters the growth of oral bacteria. The solution is to always drink plenty of fluids, preferably water, to keep bacteria at bay.
Avoid Pungent Foods
One of the most disgusting smells is garlic breath. Onions and other strongly-flavored foods can also be culprits. Not only do you end up with bits of these foods caught between your teeth but when they’re digested they make their way into the bloodstream and can be exuded by the lungs, making your breath doubly-stinky. If you’re prone to bad breath, especially in the afternoons and even if you do brush after eating lunch, try cutting out these odorous little ingredients.
Drink Water after Your Coffee
Coffee and sodas may taste good, but they also lower the pH balance in the mouth, allowing bacteria to thrive. By drinking a glass of water after your coffee or a soda you can restore that pH level back to normal. Better still, avoid the sugary sodas altogether and just drink the water! The coffee, well, that’s probably too much to ask.
Gums & Mints
There’s a wide selection of gums and mints available that may help you keep your breath smelling sweet temporarily. If it’s impossible for you to brush your teeth or use a mouthwash throughout the day, find a gum that may do the trick.
The sugar-free kinds are a good choice, but mints and gums are only a temporary fix all they do is mask the problem for a few minutes. They leave even more residue for bacteria to feed on, long after they’ve been consumed.
The solution is to look for a gum that contains Xylitol which we explain below.
Use Xylitol Products to Combat Bad Breath
Xylitol is a natural product that’s found in many kinds of fruit, berries, corn husks, oats and vegetables. It looks and tastes exactly like sugar but without all the side-effects one of which is bad breath.
By using Xylitol as a sweetener or breath-freshening gum, oral bacteria have nothing they can feed on, unlike sugar. The chemical composition of Xylitol eliminates the problem. Xylitol does not upset the pH balance in the mouth. Oral bacteria are simply not able to use it as a food source, or break it down to produce harmful acids. It’s also perfectly safe for diabetics as it has a much lower glycemic index than sugar.
To combat bad breath look for a gum that contains Xylitol and carry a pack around with you. Chew a piece after every snack or meal and you may be able to kiss your bad breath goodbye.
SOURCE: IdealBite.com