healthy body tips

Bad breath (or halitosis) is the name given to unpleasant odours exhaled when breathing. Bad breath can have many causes such as gum disease, tooth decay, poor oral hygiene, smoking, consuming certain food and drinks, infections and gastric reflux. A dental professional can help identify the cause and offer solutions.

1) Brush your teeth: It sounds simple. But just brushing your teeth more often will help reduce bad breath. Not only will the toothpaste often mask odors, but more importantly brushing will remove food particles that are a major cause of bad breath. Carry a toothbrush to work and brush after lunch or even coffee breaks. It will help. Your dentist will thank you too.

2) Brush your tongue: It sits right in the middle of your mouth and your breath passes right over it. A clean tongue helps keep your breath from picking up any additional odors from small particles that might have lodged on its rough surface. It's not hard, just one more step in the fight against bad breath. Besides, you're already brushing your teeth regularly, so this won't really take any extra time or effort.

3) Don't eat garlic: Garlic is one of those foods that tastes much better than it smells.The thing to remember is that if you're going to be enjoying garlic at lunch, everyone else is going to be sharing it that afternoon. Save your garlic for when you're going out at night and everyone with you is going to be sharing it. It just works better that way.

4) Avoid onions: They add flavor to everything they touch, but they can add bad breath too. The thing to remember is that it's raw onions that make their mark on the local atmosphere. Cooked onions are much less fragrant, especially on your breath. So if you're an onion fan, go for the cooked ones if you can, and don't load up with raw onions on that sub sandwich you had for lunch. Your co-workers will thank you.

5) Watch out for cheese: Cheese is another thing that can add to the air around you. Generally, the milder the cheese, the lighter the effect, so don't go wild on those bleu cheeses with the mold cultures and expect your breath to smell as sweet. If you're someone whose breath records every cheese they've eaten, save them for when you get home. Then brush your teeth afterwards.

6) Use mouthwash: Mouthwash is one of the classic recommendations, and as a temporary fix it can't be beat. It kills odor-causing bacteria and many of them add a hint of mint. The only problem is that a lot of mouthwashes have alcohol, which dries the mouth and can bring bad breath back just as quickly as it removed it. So use it when you need it, but don't rely on it for the entire day.

7) Don't smoke: This is good advice generally, but stopping smoking will definitely make your breath better. No cigarettes, no ash breath. Not only does the smoke itself give you bad breath, but it also adds to dry mouth and that always makes your breath worse. Smoking is just one of those things everyone is better off avoiding.

8) Don't drink: Everyone who's ever smelled it knows exactly how bad beer breath smells. Do yourself and your friends a favor and avoid alcohol if you want to keep your breath fresh. Among other things, it evaporates a lot faster than water does, so drinking leads to a dry mouth.  The dryer your mouth, the worse your breath.

9) Floss regularly: Bad breath often results from small particles of food trapped between teeth. Flossing removes them and helps keep your breath that much fresher. It also helps with oral health generally, which as a side-effect reduces bad breath, and decreases your dental bills all of which are worthy goals.So don't forget to floss.

10) Chew gum: Chew gum, but make sure it's sugarless. Chewing gum can help your breath in two ways. One is that nice minty flavor that masks a mixture of coffee, garlic and cigarette smoke the more important one is that it keeps your saliva flowing. Saliva is a good thing because it stops your mouth from drying out, which makes it that much less inviting for bad-breath-causing bacteria. The sugarless part is to keep a smile on your dentist's face.

11) Breakfast, still the most important meal: Yes, breakfast helps fight bad breath too. This meal can do anything. The way it works is simple, and yes it does require a healthy breakfast, not a cup of coffee and a donut. If your breakfast contains plenty of roughage it will help clean your tongue. It's particularly good for cleaning the back of the tongue where you can't get a toothbrush without gagging.

12) Keep your mouth clean: Another one that seems obvious once you think about it. Fresh breath comes from a fresh mouth it's that simple. So don't forget things like brushing your teeth, flossing, and even simply rinsing your mouth with fresh water. They all help. The less there is in your mouth to produce odors, the better your breath will be.

13) Rinse with hydrogen peroxide: This first step's important; even though it's already diluted when you buy it, dilute it again. Mix it half and half with water, then rinse your mouth and spit it out. It will kill bacteria, and doesn't have as much of a drying effect as alcohol. Just be careful not to swallow it.

14) Essential oils remove the essence of bad breath: Put a dab of essential oils on your toothbrush and use that to brush with. The oils will help counteract some of the bacteria in your mouth and keep them from producing bad breath. It works very well if you're brushing your teeth with baking soda.

15) Drink Water: This should go without saying. Most people should be drinking more water than they do, and a lot less of other beverages. A lot of bad breath, especially the dreaded "morning breath" is either caused or amplified by a dry mouth. If you drink lots of water you can keep hydrated, and if you're hydrated it's easier to produce saliva and keep your mouth from drying out. That will help keep bad breath down.

16) Breathe through your nose: Nobody likes being called a mouth-breather, but breathing through your nose really does help keep bad breath away. You lose moisture when you exhale, that's why your breath fogs when it's cold. If you're breathing from your nose this comes from your nasal passages and up from the lungs. If you breathe through your mouth, some of that moisture comes from your saliva. This dries out your mouth with predictable results. Bad breath.

17) Go to the dentist: See your dentist regularly, and not just to get your teeth cleaned. Tooth decay is a major cause of bad breath. It's just like having food caught in your teeth. If something's decaying it normally smells bad, and if it's decaying in your mouth that translates to bad breath. That applies to both food particles and teeth. So check with your dentist if you have bad breath.

18) Lozenges: Suck on some of those sugar-free lozenges they sell in the little tins. It doesn't matter so much what flavor you get, though mint or cinnamon may help mask any odors. What helps the most is the increased saliva production that comes from having something in your mouth. Keeping your mouth from getting dry is one of the most important ways to fight dry mouth.

19) Avoid caffeinated drinks: Caffeine is a diuretic, so if you drink too much caffeine you'll get dehydrated, which will increase the likelihood of bad breath. So if you do drink coffee, tea or other such beverages, have a glass of water at the same time. Also,be aware that adding sugar often masks the dehydrating effect such drinks have on your mouth. You still get the dry mouth; you just don't feel it as soon.

20) Alcohol has a drying effect: Anything you put in your mouth that contains alcohol can foster bad breath. This includes cough syrups, mouthwash, or even alcoholic drinks. This is because alcohol dries out the tissues in your mouth, making it easier for bad breath to form. So be aware that just because you don't drink beer, that doesn't mean alcohol can't give you bad breath.

21) Baking Soda: Baking soda's not just for the refrigerator any more. It's been used for brushing teeth for ages, and one of its biggest advantages is the effect it has on your breath. Baking soda absorbs odors, and that doesn't change when you put it on yourtooth brush. Use baking soda to brush, don't forget the tongue, and you'll notice a marked decrease in bad breath.

22) Blow your nose: Not all bad breath comes from the mouth. Yes you can get bad breath from your nose. The usual culprits are either a sinus infection, or (and this happens more often with small children than adults) something stuck in the nose. So if your child has bad breath coming from their nose, first have them try to blow it normally. If that doesn't work you should take them to the doctor to have a look.

23) Use a toothpick: Anything that remains in the mouth long enough can contribute to bad breath. Sometimes you get something stuck in your mouth that brushing and flossing just don't seem to be able to get rid of.Try a toothpick, sometimes its rigid shape is what you need. Once you get everything that doesn't belong out of your mouth your breath will probably smell a lot better.

24) Clean your dentures every night: Dentures are like teeth in more ways than one they not only help you eat, but they can cause bad breath if you don't take care of them. You need to clean them regularly, every night is best, and be sure to use an anti-bacterial cleanser. That will stop bacteria from building up and giving you bad breath.

25) Brush that retainer: Millions of people wear braces at one time in their life. Many of them need a retainer too. If you're a member of this group, or your child is, don't forget to clean that retainer. They can easily build up quite a deposit of plaque, and the best way to remove it is brushing. It also contributes to bad breath even when the retainer isn't worn because it leaves a fresh deposit in the mouth every time it's worn. So take a toothbrush and get that stuff off. Soaking isn't enough.

26) Fill your cavities: We all know that cavities are holes in your teeth caused by tooth decay. If you have cavities, run don't walk to the dentist and set yourself up to get fillings. Not only do they add to bad breath all by themselves, but cavities also provide aperfect place for those pesky food particles that bad-breath-causing bacteria feed on to lodge in your mouth. Fillings help.

27) Stop gingivitis: Gingivitis is a gum disease that helps make your mouth a breeding ground for bacteria. Since it's already a breathing ground; that means the extra bacteria can lead to bad breath. Even when gingivitis bacteria themselves don't contribute to bad breath they make the mouth that much more attractive to the bacteria that do. It has a host of other negative effects, so do yourself a favor and deal with it as quickly as you can.

28) Cabbage: Cabbage, the source of cabbage rolls and sauerkraut, is also a source of bad breath. The culprit is sulfur. Cabbage is rich in sulfur compounds, and most of what we smell in the way of bad breath is made up of volatile sulfur compounds given off by the bacteria which feed on leftover food particles in the mouth. So cut down on cabbage and you'll cut down on bad breath.

29) Go to the doctor: Your oral health isn't the only kind that can affect your breath.There are a number of medical conditions which also manifest themselves as a source of bad breath. If you have bad breath that's not responding to any other treatments, do yourself a favor and go to the doctor. Have yourself checked out for any diseases which might cause it. This isn't common, but the danger makes it worth taking a look.

30) Don't sleep in your dentures: You're getting used to your dentures so you wear them all the time. Or maybe you keep forgetting where you put them and don't want to spend the time looking for them in the morning when you're rushing to get out the door. Whatever the reason, you sleep wearing dentures. Don't. The mouth dries out when you sleep and the dentures are a perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Take them out every night and find a good place to put them.

31) Control your stress: Stress, we all have to deal with it, some of us more than others.When we get stressed, our body goes into fight or flight mode, and one of the things this shuts down is the digestive system. It makes sense; don't worry about digesting your last meal until you're sure you won't be somebody else's. Unfortunately, saliva production is one of the things that shuts down, leading to a dryer mouth and worse breath. So if you find yourself in a high stress situation, keep a glass of water handy and sip from it regularly. Your breath will thank you.

32) Don't forget to eat: If you're really hungry, your breath gets worse. What happens is when you get hungry your body starts to metabolize fat to make up for the food it's not getting. The problem comes from the fact that when your body starts to break down those fats it releases ketones, which have a very unpleasant odor. If you're in this boat, try a glass of fruit juice; it's usually the quickest way to get your body to stop running on its internal reserves.

33) Parsley: Not everyone puts parsley on a plate because they like the color. Not everyone even likes that shade of green.  However, parsley's high in chlorophyll which has a deodorizing effect. That's why some brands of chewing gum advertise having chlorophyll. So next time they give you some parsley on your pasta, eat it. It will help counteract the garlic.

34) Invest in a tongue cleaner: Since so much bacteria resides on the tongue, it's a good idea to invest in a specialty tongue cleaner or tongue scraper. Yes, brushing your tongue helps, but a toothbrush is engineered to clean teeth, not your tongue, and the two are very different. Teeth are hard and smooth, where the tongue is soft and irregular. Get a specialty tongue cleaner and clear out more of those odor-causing bacteria.

35) Tea tree oil: Brush your teeth with tea tree oil. It's a natural antiseptic and will cut down on the bacteria in your mouth. Reduce the bacteria and you reduce the bad breath. It's that simple. All you need is a few drops directly on the toothbrush because it's very strong. Or, if you don't want to spend the time for that extra brushing just add it to your regular toothpaste.

36) Stop post-nasal drip: It's a nasty feeling when something drops from your sinuses onto the back of your tongue. Needless to say, once that stuff lands on your tongue it's in prime bad breath territory. The good thing is once you cure that post nasal drip it will go away with no further effort on your part. But be aware of the effect it can have and when you are suffering from post nasal drip take extra precautions against bad breath.

37) Chew cloves and fennel seeds:A number of spices have anti-microbial and antibacterial properties, which shouldn't surprise anyone who remembers how they were used to preserve food in the Middle Ages. So one way to fight bad breath is to chew on cloves or fennel seeds, they'll mix with your saliva to help kill the bacteria that your saliva rinses away.

38)Regularity, it's important: Constipation can be another hidden cause of bad breath.When you're constipated, waste products build up in your system, and some of those waste products can lead to bad breath. It's not a pleasant subject, but if you're constipated and have bad breath you may find that clearing up one problem helps with the other.

39) Prescription drugs and dry mouth: Next time you get a prescription, take a look at the label. Many prescription drugs include dry mouth as one of their side-effects. If this is the case you're going to want to drink more water, or at least rinse your mouth out regularly while you're on this medication. Doing that will help fight the dry mouth, make you more comfortable and cut down on the bad breath.

40) Rub your tongue with a stainless steel spoon: I know it sounds funny, but there's sound scientific reasoning behind this one, which works primarily on odors like garlic. The thing to remember is that stainless steel is a catalyst, which accelerates the breakdown of many sulfur products. The only catch is that different spoons use slightly different formulations of stainless steel so they won't all work equally well.

41) Control your diabetes: Diabetes can often lead to bad breath, so if you're diabetic pay attention to your breath after you've taken care of your blood sugar. If you can control the diabetes with diet it will often take care of the bad breath as well. Otherwise you'll just have to be aware of the potential for bad breath and work to reduce it.

42) Eat your carbs: Carbohydrate reduced diets may be great for weight loss, but they aren't great for your breath. What happens is that these diets trick the body into thinking that it's not getting enough food so it turns to ketosis to break down its stores of body fat. This releases ketones, which turn into bad breath. So if you cut out carbs, be prepared to add something to fight the resulting bad breath.

43) Are you lactose intolerant?. If you are, any dairy products can lead to a case of bad breath. The way to check is simple enough cut out all dairy for a week or so and see what happens. If your bad breath goes away you know the cause and can start looking around for lactose alternatives. Lactose intolerance is fairly common in adults and tends to become more common as one gets older. It affects a large minority of whites, and a majority of non whites, so do check it out.

44) Xylitol: If you're given a choice, pick foods sweetened with xylitol over other artificial sweeteners. This substitute kills bacteria and enhances saliva production, giving you two benefits for the price of one. Since it's often used in gum, there's a real synergy between the act of chewing increasing your salivation in addition to the xylitol.

45) Cinnamon gum: Gum is one of the arch-enemies of bad breath, though we do recommend sugarless gum just as the dentist does. If you're given a choice, cinnamon gum seems to be the best for reducing bacteria in the mouth. There's something in the flavoring used in most cinnamon flavored gum that reduces bacteria, which means it's fighting bad breath on two fronts. Not only by increasing saliva flow but also by killing the bacteria which cause bad breath.

6) Close your mouth: Bad breath comes from a dry mouth, keeping your mouth open speeds evaporation and provides a better breeding ground for bacteria. So if you're someone who habitually leaves your mouth open even a little bit, try to keep it closed. It will help. It's a good habit to keep in other ways too, but sometimes it's the things we never think about that can make the biggest differences.

47) Get a water pick: Brushing helps, flossing helps, but there are some spots that they just can't seem to get at. That's where you need a water pick one of those devices that directs a high pressure spray into your mouth to wash away the food particles that collect in hard to reach places. It will remove the food sources the bad breath causing bacteria need to survive. Add this to your daily oral hygiene routine and any bad breath problems will start to decrease again.

48) Look for an alcohol free mouthwash: Most mouthwashes contain alcohol, so no sooner do they wash the bacteria away than they set up a perfect breeding spot for the next round, and bacteria reproduce very quickly. This is where an alcohol free mouthwash that relies on an oxidizer comes in. It will clear away the bacteria without causing the dry mouth that makes it that much more welcoming for the next batch.

49) Brush your dentures:  Plaque buildup leads to bad breath. It gives the bacteria somewhere to hide away from the oxygen that will kill them. Dentures develop plaque too, so it's important to brush them. Simply soaking in an anti-bacterial solution isn't enough. It cleans the surface, but does little or nothing to remove plaque. So the best option is to combine brushing with an anti-bacterial rinse to first clear everything off the dentures, then kill bacteria that may have been hiding underneath.

50) Myrrh is for the wise: Myrrh is a natural antiseptic, and can work wonders in a mouthwash. Most people hate the taste, but it's hard to fault its efficacy. You don't need a lot, and you don't have to swallow it either. Just take the myrrh and mix it with a little water, swish it around and you will find your breath is getting better.

51) Use sage tea: Sage is one of nature's many antibacterials and a good way to keep your breath fresh. All you do is make a glass of warm sage tea, swirl it around in your  mouth, gargle, then spit it out. It has the advantage of helping to heal mouth sores as well as fighting bad breath so it's a great option.

52) Try some cardamom seeds: Cardamom is rich in the antiseptic cineole, which is known to kill odor causing bacteria. All you need to do is chew the seeds for a little while then spit them out. Like many herbal options, it has a secondary benefit with nothing to do with your breath. According to reports, it's considered an aphrodisiac by many Arab cultures. We all know that bad breath is the opposite of an aphrodisiac, so this is worth a try.

53) Eat your vegetables:  Vegetables are good for you, we all know that. What we don't all know is how they fight bad breath. It's the roughage that does it. Vegetables like carrots and celery, especially when raw, work to scrape the plaque off your teeth and expose the bacteria beneath to the air. It works really well as part of a whole body plan to reduce bad breath and improve overall health.

54) Eat sugar-free yogurt: The advantage to this method is that it uses bacteria to fight bacteria.  The bacterial cultures in the yogurt actually work to counteract the bacteria that cause bad breath.  By reducing the amount of bacteria, it reduces the sulfur compounds and thus the bad breath.  Another benefit is that it also reduces both plaque and gingivitis, helping to reduce bad breath and increase general oral health.

55) Linus Pauling was right, take Vitamin C:  Okay, maybe he wasn't right on everything, but taking vitamin C can definitely be helpful in reducing bad breath. Take several doses over the course of a day and it will help flush out mucus and toxins, giving the bacteria nothing to feed on and nowhere to flourish. Fewer bacteria means better breath.

56) B is for breath: Take your vitamins, especially your vitamin B. Lowered B levels can lead to bad breath, especially B6 which is not found in large amounts in most foods. A vitamin supplement can help correct this, which will improve your breath. Again, the healthier you are, the sweeter your breath, so don't forget looking at health causes such as vitamin deficiencies if you have bad breath.

57) Try a salt water gargle: Gargling helps remove those food particles that the bacteria feed on, and the salt makes things that much less hospitable for them. This is one of the easiest options; everyone should have water and salt available. It cleans away everything from bacteria, to mucus to the aforementioned food particles. It's a good general habit.

58) Salt and Lemon: Sprinkle salt on a slice of lemon then give it a good suck. It's not just good for tequila. It will also help reduce bad breath caused by onions and garlic. It's a good option if you're eating out, as most restaurants have both slices of lemon and salt readily available. Take advantage of this one the next time you go to an Italian restaurant.

59) Eat your pineapple: Pineapple, along with papaya and kiwifruit are rich in digestive enzymes. You can take advantage of this fact to help your digestion, which will also reduce the chance of bad breath. Incompletely digested foods release gas from your intestines, and when this works its way out you get bad breath.  Adding digestive enzymes can help prevent this.

60) Anise tea: Take a few teaspoons of anise seeds, and boil them in water for a few minutes to make a licorice flavored tea. Strain the seeds out and then either drink the tea or use it as a mouthwash.  Whichever way you choose you'll find its natural antimicrobial properties will help cleanse your mouth and clean your breath. If you like it, drink it; if you don't just use it as a mouthwash and gargle.

61) Parsley: Chewing on parsley will eliminate bad breath. Chewing on Cardamom is very effective as Cardamom actually kills bad breath bacteria.