Home Remedies for Bad Breath

The most obvious of the home remedies for bad breath (halitosis) is simply attending to excellent oral hygiene. Brush your teeth after eating so that the surfaces of your teeth are clean and not coated with food that bacteria like to eat. Floss regularly to remove pieces of food that have gotten caught between the teeth - the secluded spaces between the teeth are a favorite hiding place for the bacteria that produce volatile sulfur compounds (VSC), the worst of the smell producers in cases of halitosis. When you brush your teeth, brush your tongue too (not to hard; you don't want to make it sore) as many bacteria colonize the tongue. Have your teeth cleaned and your gum health checked regularly.

If you have an on-going problem , you might want to try some other home remedies for bad breath. The traditional ones include preparations that are aimed at killing the VSC producers and cleaning the mouth, and others that simply mask the odor on a temporary basis. Chronic bad breath home remedies require a commitment to using the remedy regularly on an ongoing basis.

Bad breath home remedies that mask the odor include chewing a peppermint leaf or a sprig of parsley, or holding a clove in your mouth. Chewing mint or cinnamon flavored chewing gum, eating sunflower seeds, rinsing with lemon juice and water, rinsing with salt water, and drinking hot tea are also recommended as home remedies for bad breath. Strategies for cleaning the mouth, probably better as chronic bad breath home remedies, include rinsing solutions made from hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and salt; just straight 3 percent hydrogen peroxide; or tiny amounts of Tea tree oil, an essential oil distilled from the leaves of the Australian Tea tree. These substances have some antibacterial properties - do not swallow them however: they are not meant to be taken internally.

A lot of scientific research remains to be done before we understand exactly how the bacterial population of the mouth works, even in healthy mouths. Home remedies for bad breath, therefore, don't have scientific data to back them up. We have to rely on the past experiences of others to judge whether any of the bad breath remedies are likely to work. In choosing chronic bad breath remedies, you might be better to choose a commercial product of some kind. Many of them do contain ingredients for which there is considerable scientific backing.

If you try several bad breath home remedies without success, consider consulting your doctor or dentist for a professional assessment of the problem.