Taming bad breath

by Bethany Sanders (Subscribe to Bethany Sanders's posts)
Feb 18th 2008 9:15AM

Categories: Healthy Habits, Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements

Maybe you know you have it and want to fix it. Maybe you don't know you have it, and your friends are trying to figure out a tactful way to tell you. Either way, bad breath -- or its more scientific name halitosis -- isn't a friend to anyone.

Bad breath can be blamed on the food you eat, but it's also sometimes an indicator of an underlying problem. The Times Online recently reviewed popular bad breath solutions. Some of them are tried and true, and some are based on little more than word of mouth:

Tried, but not yet proven to be helpful:

chewing on parsley
chewing special gum
eating yogurt
chewing fennel seeds
chewing magnolia gum

Some research indicates it might help:

rinsing with antibacterial mouthwash
brushing with baking soda
popping peppermint oil
scraping your tongue

Proven health habits to keep bad breath at bay:

staying hydrated
munching on fruit
brushing frequently
quitting smoking
eating breakfast
flossing daily
seeing dental and medical professionals to rule out underlying problems

Click here for more great tips:

Source

Comments (14)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Jessica 2-18-2008 @ 10:49AM

I have been lucky enough to not have an issue with bad breath, and it could be all thanks to the fact that I follow the proven health habits.

What I wanted to point out, it that brushing with straight baking soda is suppose to be bad for your teeth. It could just be a rumor, but I was told that it wears the enamel on your teeth fast. Just something to watch out for! If someone knows otherwise please correct me.

Char 2-20-2008 @ 7:54AM

Mint Assure is an amazing product that neutralizes onion and garlic odors within 30 minutes! Try it!! I've been using if for years.

teve 2-20-2008 @ 3:31PM

Min Assure is great! It really works and it works from the inside out!

barbie 2-20-2008 @ 9:57AM

If you still have your tonsils or tonsil tags, beware! Food gets trapped in the crevices of the tonsils and they create the worst bad breath ever! The trapped stuff is called tonsiliths! Gross!

Karen 2-20-2008 @ 10:12AM

I've also heard that crunchy on a apple helps eliminate bad breath.
Things that cause bad breath are cantaloupe, coffee, spicy foods, to name a few that I know of.
Karen

Joe T. 2-20-2008 @ 10:44AM

Tongue scraper, used once a day in the morning, or when your tongue gets coated. Especially good for those who get "coffee breath."

Joel 2-20-2008 @ 11:36AM

I heard that th Devil farts on pagans tongues!!!! Bwwwaaaaaahhhhh!!!!

pketti2 2-20-2008 @ 2:10PM

That's Funny!

VICTORIA 2-20-2008 @ 11:49AM

I recently found out that after three years of waiting on the transplant list for a liver ( l need the transplant for an medical problem. I am not a product of alcohol drugs or any other illnesses). I had my husband tell me he could not bear to be close to me due to the odor of my breath! I made an appointment with many MD's only to find no solution which was becoming damaging to my marriage! I read everything possible about horrid breath and finally asked the MD for a zinc level ! ??? That was the ticket, I am so glad I took to researching on my own. I am still waiting for that transplant but my marriage is better and that makes the waiting more tolerable...

Mary 2-21-2008 @ 12:25AM

Tooth-whitening toothpaste does erode tooth enamel. That is why it is not ADA (American Dental Association) recommended. You should look for toothpaste with the ADA

I don't know about baking soda, but you could check toothpaste w baking soda. If it doesn't have the seal, then I'd avoid baking soda until you can ask your dentist.

Mary 2-21-2008 @ 12:26AM

ooth-whitening toothpaste does erode tooth enamel. That is why it
is not ADA (American Dental Association) recommended. You should
look for toothpaste with the ADA

I don't know about baking soda, but you could check toothpaste w
baking soda. If it doesn't have the seal, then I'd avoid baking soda
until you can ask your dentist.

M.E. Williams 2-21-2008 @ 12:55AM

Hi Bethany! :D Popping over from DIY Life to say... what I just said!

I would add "avoiding coffee" -- it seems to be the major cause of corpse-in-the-cat-litter-box breath among people I know. (But we love it so....)

Drinking lots of water and keeping up with oral hygiene seem to be the other things that work well, but some gums (like Dentyne Ice, etc) seem to work pretty well as a quick temporary fix, by picking up some of the food particles that might be around the mouth. Just not as well as drinking a cup or two of water, or brushing/flossing your teeth.

Piotr Gavrilovich 2-21-2008 @ 11:21AM

I sent this message to my daughter, and she thought I was trying to tell her something and was offended...But please, daughters and friends, this Dad has the purest of
good intentions without being judgemental.
Bad breath is a fact of life, just learn to cope and overcome
it with tried and true remedies that do work!!!