Bad Breath Remedy
Bad Breath Remedies
Halitosis is a condition that has plagued humanity since the beginning of time and yet somehow most individuals living within the modern society of the 21st century have yet to rid themselves of this inexhaustible ailment! How can this be? What preventative measures must be taken to safeguard one’s oral health? And most importantly if one suffers from Halitosis how does one cure himself of it?
Ha-li-to-sis…what exactly is Halitosis? Well believe it or not it is the medical term for what the average person calls “bad breath”! Yes, you heard right bad breath is a recognized medical condition which under certain circumstances can develop into a serious condition if it is the direct cause of an oral infection or some sort of kidney illness.
Aside from the extreme cases, bad breath is the direct result of the formation of live bacteria in both the tongue and throat area. Now, don’t be fooled into thinking that this can be avoided or led to believe the myth that some people just don’t have bad breath! This is simply not the case, for the plain reason that the live bacteria (referred to by scientists as Anaerobic Sulfur Producing Bacteria) that causes bad breath is naturally produced by all humans. This particular bacterium is an essential component in the human digestion process. Thus, it is necessary for an individual to produce such bacteria in order to properly digest the food they eat. As a consequence, when the food comes into contact with the bacteria it in turn releases what we all experience as an odorous and awful taste in our mouths. So basically, there is no getting around it because the bacteria are beneficial to our health as they aid the digestive system to breakdown our daily food intake. Unfortunately, its side effects are less than desirable so how do we overcome this unavoidable dilemma?
I am sure that you are all well aware that the path to a sweeter and more pleasant breath is to brush your teeth on a regular basis. This of course is manageable but at times not realistic for most individuals who spend their day away from the comfort and privacy of their bathroom. Brushing one’s teeth as a bad breath remedy is only really effective if one brushes immediately after one has finished his meal. The reason being that the residue left behind by the bacteria, a soft sticky film generally referred to as plaque, will cling to your teeth and gums long after you have finished eating, thus it is imperative that the plaque be removed as soon as possible in order to eliminate the odour producing bacteria.
If you cannot brush it is highly recommended that you rinse, which should be quite easy to do as access to water is normally always available. When you use rinsing as a bad breath remedy, you are eliminating some of the residues left behind by the food you have just eaten thus reducing the intensity of the odorous bacteria.
This brings us to the minty fresh mouthwash, a product commonly misunderstood. Many have been led to believe that the mouthwash is a top bad breath remedy; this unfortunately is not the case. The mouthwash, along with gum and the mint are mere cover-ups. It is true that they do mask the effects of bad breath but these products only offer a temporary solution as they normally last for no more than twenty minutes.
The most effective proven bad breath remedy is to remove the bacteria found on the surface of one’s tongue. This can generally be accomplished by brushing the tongue surface with a toothbrush; some have even suggested that if a toothbrush is not within reach then to simply invert a spoon and to scrape off as much of the bacteria as possible using the utensil.
Despite all these possibilities there are some odours that cannot be eliminated no matter how often or how long you brush; these odours will linger well into the rest of your day or evening. These lingering odours are caused by either garlicky or spicy foods and are to be avoided unless you don’t mind keeping your hand in front of your mouth for the next twenty four hours…that’s right it lasts that long!
Apart from the wide range of oral health products which can easily be found in any pharmacy or supermarket there are also some more “natural” means of eliminating bad breath. Parsley, for instance, has been proven to be quite effective against bad breath as it contains chlorophyll, which has been recognized as a sort of breath “deodorizer”. So the next time you’re thinking of picking up some Mexican food grab a few sprigs of parsley and chew, chew, chew!! And remember you are what you eat!
Thank you to Amanda Rosini for this "Bad Breath Remedy" article.
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