Natural Ways to Overcome Bad Breath

Bad breath is indeed very annoying and often erodes self-confidence, especially when talking to other people. But do not worry, there are several ways you can do to overcome bad breath naturally. Bad breath, or in medical terms called halitosis, is a condition that can be experienced by anyone. Rarely brushing teeth or poorly maintained oral and dental hygiene are the most common causes of bad breath.

Causes of Bad Breath

No routine brushing your teeth every day will make leftover food debris left in the mouth. Bacteria will grow on these flakes, then remove odorous compounds that cause bad breath. If left unchecked, bacteria that cause bad breath will multiply more and more, eventually forming dental plaque. When that happens, the odor that appears can be worse. Therefore, routine cleaning your teeth is very important to maintain healthy teeth and prevent bad breath. Apart from rarely brushing your teeth, lack of saliva due to dry mouth can also cause bad breath. The reason is saliva has a role in cleaning up food debris and foreign matter in the mouth. Bad breath due to dry mouth usually occurs when we just wake up, especially if you previously slept with your mouth open. In addition, it is also possible that bad breath you experience is caused by the factors below:

• Smoking or consuming alcoholic drinks.
• Eating foods that smell pungent, such as onions and petai.
• There is an infection or inflammation of the nose, sinus cavity, mouth, or throat, for example in inflammatory gum disease, sinusitis, and tonsillitis.
• Suffering from acid reflux disease, kidney or liver disorders, and oral cancer.

Overcoming Bad Breath with Natural Ingredients

To overcome bad breath, you must be diligent in brushing your teeth and floss to clean the remnants of food that causes bad breath. In addition, because bad breath can also be caused by dry mouth, it is recommended that you drink enough water, which is at least 8 glasses per day. In addition to brushing your teeth and drinking enough water, you can use the following natural ingredients to overcome bad breath:

1. Milk

When you eat foods that smell pungent, such as garlic or onion, drink milk afterwards. Research has proven that milk has a content that is able to eliminate bad breath due to consuming pungent foods. Besides milk, processed milk products in the form of yogurt can also help eliminate bad breath. This is because yogurt contains probiotics which can help reduce the number of bacteria that cause bad breath.

2. Orange

Besides having a refreshing taste, oranges are also rich in vitamin C which works to increase saliva production. With increased saliva, many of the bacteria that cause bad breath will be removed from the mouth. There is also research that states that vitamin C is beneficial for preventing inflammation of the gums and canker sores.

3. Green tea

Green tea or green tea has long been known to contain substances that are antibacterial and antioxidant, and has been shown to reduce inflammation. The good news, it turns out green tea is also effective in eliminating bad breath. To enrich the taste of green tea, try adding mint leaves to it. Similar to green tea, mint leaves are believed to be effective in treating bad breath.

4. Betel leaf

This plant is often used as an herbal medicine, and traditionally, betel leaf is widely used by chewing. According to several studies, betel leaf has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects that can help maintain healthy teeth and mouth. This effect is also good for overcoming bad breath.

5. Sweet root

Sweet root or licorice is an herbal remedy commonly used to treat itching, skin inflammation, and heartburn. In addition, liquorice also contains antibacterial compounds which are believed to eliminate bad breath, relieve mouth ulcers, and prevent tooth decay and gums. Licorice extract can be found in a variety of herbal medicinal products, both in gel preparations, lozenges, or mouthwash. Although this material has long been used in traditional medicine, further research is still needed to determine how far the effectiveness of this material.

6. Saga saga

A study shows that saga leaves contain antibacterial compounds that are believed to be able to kill bacteria that cause bad breath and tooth decay and gum. In addition, saga leaves are also believed to reduce inflammation of the gums and mouth, so that they can overcome bad breath and canker sores, although further research is still needed. If bad breath does not disappear after using the natural ingredients above, you should consult a dentist to find out the exact cause of bad breath that you experience. Once the cause is known, the dentist will help you determine the appropriate treatment.