There’s nothing more embarrassing than having a bad-smelling breath. While the common belief is that bad breath is a result of poor oral health, experts suggest otherwise. Dental health experts suggest that this might not always be a sign of poor oral hygiene. Along with the various changes in a person’s lifestyle, age, stress, and diet, the cause of your bad breath could also be a sign of other major ailments.
So, make sure you consult a professional, the minute you suspect bad breath. And remember, there’s nothing to be ashamed of it and with the right care, you could reverse the situation. Until then, here are five home remedies or treatments that will help you battle bad breath.
Reduce Protein Intake
A high protein diet is great for your body and helps boost your body’s healing system. However, it could turn fowl for your mouth. Foods like steak, beef, chicken, fish, pork, and eggs are rich in protein and you should cut down on these foods if you are battling bad breath. While the common belief is that the meat is what leaves your mouth smelling bad, that’s not all true. During the process of digestion, our body breaks protein into ammonia.
When your diet is rich in proteins, the ammonia content in your body increases too. You can notice this not just as bad breath but ends up leaving you with body odor and smelly urine. You might notice a dead fish-like odor, which is your body’s way of telling you that it’s getting more ammonia than the system needs.
Stay Hydrated
Dehydration or dry mouth could make your mouth smell bad. So, the culprit is your habit of not drinking enough water. The secret here is to make sure your mouth doesn’t go dry and you could do that by drinking ample amount of water. Do not forget to keep yourself hydrated before a big meeting or when you are anxious. It not just helps you feel confident, but will also prevent your mouth from going dry and smelling bad.
However, if you are not a fan of drinking lots of water, you could also substitute it with a few drinks of juices, soups, and other beverages that would help you rehydrate your body. Alternatively, you could also get yourself an immersion water bottle, that lets you drop a few slices of lemon, mint, or both in it and add taste to your water. In short, do everything it takes to prevent your mouth from going dry.
Clean Your Tongue
Well, this is the dummy’s guide to oral health. Besides making sure that there’s no cavity build up in your teeth, you should also make sure there is no bacteria buildup on your tongue. You could do this by scrapping your tongue twice a day. You could either use a tongue scraper, a spoon, or even your toothbrush to scrape the bacteria, fungi and dead cells off your tongue.
Pineapple Juice
While this remedy is yet to have some scientific evidence to support it, it’s been in practice for a while, so there’s no harm in trying it right? Consuming a glass of pineapple juice is said to be the quickest way to treat bad breath. You could also chew on a slice or two of pineapple after every meal if you do not have access to fresh juice.
Use a Mouthwash
Using a mouthwash often can help change the PH level of your mouth and thus reduce the risk of oral health. If you do not like the store-bought mouthwashes, you could always make one at home. Just add a spoonful of baking soda with some antimicrobial peppermint essential oil.
Rinse your mouth with this mix, but do not swallow. Doing this a few times every day will reduce the bad breath problems. However, if the problem persists, do visit a professional and get help.
Besides following all these tips, make sure you visit your dentist often, change your toothbrush once in two months, and get a professional clean up often too. All these will help you maintain great oral health. That’s because your bad breath could be a sign of some other serious health issue and a professional will help you rule out that concern.
