Oral Rinses

The first line of defense against bad breath is a variety of oral rinses, or mouthwashes. It's a simple idea really: you take a mouthful of the solution and swish it around in your mouth, making sure you get it into every little nook and cranny, and even gargling with it to expose and wash the tissues at the back of the tongue and the top of the throat. When the solution contains something that kills or physically dislodges oral bacteria, it can be quite effective at reducing the unpleasant odor of bad breath.

Oral cleaners are tools for mechanically removing the same troublesome bacteria. Tools like toothbrushes, tongue cleaners, and similar products make valuable partners for oral rinses in a good oral hygiene program. Tongue cleaners scrape a layer of noncellular material and oral bacteria off the tongue, physically removing them from the mouth (One drop of this material can contain literally billions of microscopic bacteria, so this kind of scraping can make a significant difference, especially when it is done regularly.) Toothbrushes and other handheld scrubbers for the teeth remove plaque, which is a buildup of mineral deposits, food particles, other proteins, and a healthy population of bacteria that are thriving in tiny crevices there.

Some commercial brand names include a whole line of oral products including oral rinses and oral cleaners. Some even market their products in kit form, so that you can get the tools and the first bottles of mouthwash at a better price. Once you have everything you need, you only have to replace the mouthwash as you use it up. Tongue cleaners don't last for ever, of course, but they only need to be replaced periodically. Kits are probably a practical approach if you can find one that you like.

Many people just settle for oral rinses, adding the use of mouthwash to their routine a couple of times a day. When the mouth is healthy, and the person hasn't got a serious problem with bad breath, this approach is probably perfectly adequate; however, if there is a chronic problem, and the bad breath is the really bad rotten egg kind, much better results will be obtained by using oral cleaners as well. It should go without saying that when there is a chronic underlying problem, such as gum disease, even oral rinses and mechanical cleaning will have limited effect - see your dentist or doctor to get some professional help with reestablishing a healthy mouth. Fresh breath will probably follow.

Stop Bad Breath

It's challenging to stop bad breath once it gets established. This is because it's produced by oral bacteria that are difficult to get rid of, and because there may be some chronic underlying condition that is supporting the problem, but which is equally difficult to clear up. Underlying conditions that support bad breath bacteria include periodontal disease, sinusitis, and post nasal drip, among other things. All of these things either provide nutrients for the bacteria or furnish them with perfect places to live.

The key to stopping bad breath lies in eradicating the oral bacteria that produce it, or at least reducing their number significantly. These bacteria are anaerobes: they live in the absence of oxygen and they thrive in the tiny grooves on the tongue, between the teeth, and in the pockets formed between teeth and gums in periodontal disease. They break down proteins in the mouth, like inflammatory cells found in periodontal disease and sinusitis, food particles caught in the mouth, or shed skin cells washed away in post nasal drip. It's difficult to stop bad breath when you can't stop providing food to these bacteria.

Stopping bad breath is not an entirely hopeless pursuit, however. If you have gum disease, you can see your dentist and get started on treating it. Sometimes sinus problems can be cleared with a little professional help as well. And though these things do take time, you can get on with stopping bad breath by establishing a routine of good oral hygiene that includes strategies to fight the anaerobic bacteria that produce bad odors.

Start with the basics: brush your teeth with a soft bristle toothbrush after every meal and floss between your teeth every day. Clean your tongue - you can use your toothbrush or the smooth edge of a small spoon to do this, but there are also commercial tongue cleaners available. You'll need to add a good mouthwash or mouth rinse to effectively stop bad breath. Choose one that acts on the bacteria in some way: there are a number of products that do this so read labels and package inserts. Some producers have come up with new and novel approaches, so if you've tried all the common ones without succeeding in stopping bad breath, try one of these newer products. They are easiest to find on the internet, so you can shop around without visiting endless stores.

Don't expect an instant permanent fix: even if you do stop bad breath quickly and easily with the right oral product, it's likely to recur when you stop using them, especially of an underlying problem still exists. Plan on continuing your oral routine long term.

Fresh Breath

There's nothing like that feeling of clean fresh breath that you get right after you brush your teeth - but unfortunately, it often doesn't last very long. You can try to recreate it all day long by popping mints, chewing gum, and spraying minty concoctions into your mouth, but it seems that nothing has a really lasting effect; before you know it, your mouth feels like a garbage can again and you're afraid to stand too close to anyone when you are talking.

It's important to realize that, while that cool mint taste does almost assure good breath, at least for the moment, the lack of it does not mean that you have halitosis. Many people think they have bad breath when they actually do not. In addition, many instances of bad odor coming from the mouth are caused by food or beverages - these odors are transient, and they will soon pass and be forgotten. The odor of tobacco smoke is more persistent, simply because continued smoking sustains the problem, but even this is not halitosis in the classic sense, and a strong mint or breath spray will work wonders for maintaining fresh breath.

There are a few old home recipes for good breath, like rinsing with baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, or both, but most people today purchase commercial products. The halitosis market has proven to be a lucrative one and there are lots of brands to choose from. As with everything else, there is a range of prices, and some fresh breath products work better than others. But the good news is that many of them work quite well.

The best products are those that contain an antiseptic ingredient, that is, something that gets rid of oral bacteria. The bad odor we associate with halitosis is produced by bacteria living in the mouth, especially on the tongue, between the teeth, and in small airless pockets and folds throughout the mouth. When there are lots of a particular group of bacteria living and flourishing in the mouth, bad odors are produced: get rid of them and you have good breath. Products that rely on a strong-smelling ingredient, like mints, simply cover up the odor and produce temporary fresh breath that does not last.

Most good breath products that act on the bacteria are mouth washes and rinses; however, some chewing gums and strips, most available directly from the manufacturer, are available. For most people with halitosis, the best way to fresh breath is to select complementary products (gum, rinse etc.) and use them consistently for an extended period of time.

Herbs for Bad Breath

Long before the first mouthwash came on the market, people were using herbs for bad breath. The rationale for this has probably been that many herbs have strong but pleasant flavors and scents that will mask a bad odor on the breath. They certainly do have this effect, but fortuitously, many of them also have antiseptic qualities that also assist with controlling the activities of bacteria in the mouth. Some of the earliest mouthwashes were developed from herbal remedies.

Listerine, a product that's been used for halitosis since early in the twentieth century, might well be considered a bad breath herbal remedy. Among it's ingredients are menthol (a derivative of the mint plant), eucalyptol from the eucalyptus tree, thymol (a derivative of thyme), and methyl salicylate (oil of wintergreen). These are all well known herbs for bad breath, and they all have antiseptic properties as well. It's no surprise that Listerine, even though it was formulated long before we really understood the causes of bad breath, really seems to work for many people.

Another popular and long standing bad breath herbal remedy is chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is the key ingredient in Clorets, the successful breath mint products that have been around since the 1950s. Chlorophyll is a molecule produced by green plants that absorbs sunlight for the production of energy. By chance, it is also good at absorbing certain odors. Some plants have particularly high levels of chlorophyll, which makes them good candidate herbs for bad breath. These include parsley, green algae and many green vegetables.

Listerine and Clorets are both examples of a bad breath herbal remedy that's been incorporated into a commercial product (and the herbal origins all but forgotten), but if you prefer a home grown remedy, there is a long list of herbs to choose from. Peppermint, cloves, and fresh parsley are all well known, and relatively safe, herbs for bad breath. Cardamom, coriander, sage, anise, and dill are also on the list. Derivatives of bergamot, eucalyptus and other herbs are sometimes used. Remember however, that not all plants are safe to eat in large quantities, and plant oils are concentrated and may be toxic. Before you use any herbs for bad breath or herbal based preparation, do you homework to determine toxicity risks.

Toddler Bad Breath

Halitosis in adults is relatively common - we all worry about it - but toddler bad breath is much more unusual. This is probably because the most common causes of halitosis, such as gum disease and post nasal drip, are generally only seen in adults. When we notice that the breath of a child is unpleasant, it is more surprising, and often more urgent. It can be a signal of a more serious medical problem.

We sometimes notice bad breath in child diseases. The most common of these is probably childhood diabetes - ketoacidosis is characterized by a high blood sugar, dehydration, and a sweetish bad breath. Sweet smelling bad breath in a child could be a sign of serious illness and should be dealt with very promptly. Another common cause of adolescent and toddler bad breath is throat infection: bacteria and viruses frequently cause pharyngitis and tonsillitis in the young, and strept throat can lead to debilitating complications. Any red sore throat accompanied by a fever that doesn't resolve on its own in a couple of days should be assessed by a physician. Other diseases that can change the odor of the breath include kidney and liver diseases, and some cancers, but these condition are relatively rare in children.

When toddler bad breath is not caused by an underlying condition, the most common cause is probably dehydration. Dehydration can occur easily in a child, and can result from a number of factors: insufficient fluid intake during hot dry weather, strenuous exertion without taking regular drinks, diarrhea and vomiting, consumption of diuretic beverages such as drinks containing caffeine, respiratory infection, and other things. Bad breath in child dehydration is often initiated by a drying out of the mouth tissues - when saliva production is decreased, the bacteria responsible for halitosis are able to proliferate. The more of them there are, the more severe the toddler bad breath will be.

Of course, some instances of bad breath in child situations are simply caused by a recently consumed food or beverage. Ask your child what she has eaten in the last little while (and remember that we don't always know what our children are putting in their mouths - never assume). Foods like garlic and onions, curry, and spicy foods like pepperoni can leave a distinct odor on the breath for a while after they are eaten. Strong flavored confections like black licorice can do it too. And if the toddler bad breath you detect has a chemical or medicinal smell, double check that your child has not ingested a cleaner or other chemical, or a medicine left within reach. If you suspect this is the case, seek medical help immediately.

Chronic Halitosis

Bad breath that continues for a long period of time is often referred to as chronic halitosis. It's a condition that has been around for a very long time, but it is only in last century that we have started to may much attention to it, and only in the last decade that we have made any real progress in finding ways to deal with the problem. Essentially, it has been viewed as an issue of personal hygiene, rather than a health problem, and health professions, therefore, have not addressed it.

Perceptions of chronic halitosis have changed. A few health professionals - dentists, dental hygienists, physicians, and microbiologists - realized that bad breath was a problem faced by a lot of people, and that it was often caused by factors beyond the individual's control. The need for a specialized area of research and treatment soon led to the development of the first halitosis clinic. These clinics draw in people who have suffered from bad breath and fruitlessly sought a solution, giving specialists a population of patients that help them learn more about the condition and how it can be managed.

The halitosis clinic may be the driving force behind its own demise: experience has indeed provided a great deal of knowledge about how to cure chronic halitosis and many sufferers can now benefit from this acquired knowledge without having to attend a clinic. New products are on the market and oral hygiene regimens that work have been identified. Since the vast majority of chronic halitosis cases are caused by the same thing (the proliferation of anaerobic bacteria in the mouth), most cases can now be self-treated or addressed in the dental office. The remainder of cases, associated with underlying disease, will probably come under the management of other specialties.

So what have we learned from the halitosis clinic? Most cases of long term bad breath are caused by a shift in the bacterial population in the mouth towards anaerobic species that produce sulfur compounds. As for how to cure chronic halitosis, it begins with good oral hygiene, including regular cleaning of the tongue, and includes cleansing the mouth with a mouthwash that will kill or remove many of the unwanted bacteria and restore the bacterial population to a normal balance. For some people, there may indeed be a cure, with the bacterial balance maintaining itself after a treatment period of months to years. For many, the treatment regimen will have to be a lifetime commitment.

Chronic Bad Breath

Unfortunately, bad breath usually means chronic bad breath: it is unusual for unpleasant breath odor to be a temporary situation unless it is caused by a recently eaten food or acute infection. The reason bad breath, or halitosis, is usually chronic is that it is caused by a population of bacteria that live in the mouth, and once established there, they are not going to go away on their own.

The mouth is a reliable source of food for bacteria. We are constantly putting food in there, and tiny particles of it remain after we swallow. Our bodies produce proteins for various purposes, and some of these are common in the saliva that constantly bathes the inside of the mouth, while drainage from sinuses, ears, and tears, all contain proteins as well. A constant supply of food, plus the right kind of bacteria, equals chronic bad breath. Knowing this, it's easy to understand that an effective bad breath treatment will be directed at the bacteria to reduce or eliminate them.

Elimination of the anaerobic bacteria that produce chronic bad breath is actually next to impossible: no matter what you do, a few will remain. As long as you can keep the numbers down to a few, your breath will be noticeably better, but if you ease up on the bad breath treatment, the bacteria are likely to come back with a vengeance, those few quickly multiplying to numbers great enough to cause a problem again. Choose an oral care program with a good bad breath treatment and stick with it : chronic bad breath can return.

Worthwhile commercial products for bad breath treatment don't just use a strong odor to cover up the halitosis. They should contain an ingredient that actually kills bacteria or physically removes them from your mouth. This has always been the aim of products such as Listerine, Scope, Cepacol, and others: they contain antiseptics and come with a promise to fight the cause of chronic bad breath. Newer, so called natural, remedies make the same claim. Typically, they either deliver oxygen to the anaerobic areas of the mouth (and the guilty bacteria hate oxygen), or mop the bacteria up with oil and carry them off.

Generally speaking, chronic bad breath can be controlled, if not cured, if you are willing to spend the time and money (if money is an issue, try a cheaper home bad breath treatment first, such as hydrogen peroxide or baking soda, but do research the proper way to use these substances and use them safely.) Remember, chronic means long term - you'll likely have to continue your counterattack indefinitely.

Dog Bad Breath

If your beloved Fido is getting older, you may be becoming more familiar with dog bad breath. Many older dogs have a lifetime buildup of tartar on their teeth, a coating of mineral deposit, food particles, proteins, and bacteria. If there is heavy buildup, it will be brownish or grey, and it will be easily visible, particularly on the outside surfaces of the back molars. This tartar generates a foul odor. If your dog's breath smells awful to you check the teeth: are they coated with tartar?

Cat bad breath is less common but still occurs frequently. It arises from the same causes: a buildup of deposits on the teeth. The actual cause of the unpleasant smell in cat's bad breath, dog bad breath, and even human bad breath is the same - bacteria multiplying in the mouth (although in humans, these bacteria are more typically found on the back of the tongue, rather than on the teeth). The offending organisms are anaerobes, bacteria that live in the absence of oxygen. They live in grooves and folds in the tongue, gums, and teeth, and believe it or not, the mineral deposits on the teeth provide them with lots of little nooks and crannies, while the food particles and proteins from saliva provide them with lots of food.

When anaerobic bacteria break down proteins in the mouth to get nutrients, they produce a byproduct - airborne molecules called volatile sulfur compounds that smell awful. They simply smell like rotten meat. They are the primary component of dog and cat bad breath. The anaerobic bacteria cause other problems too - in sufficient numbers, they can cause gum disease and jaw abscesses, and make it easier for other disease-causing organisms to move in and colonize the mouth. If they gain access to the bloodstream they can cause septicemia and spread bacterial infection to other parts of the body. Don't ignore cat or dog bad breath - it's more than just a cosmetic problem.

You can avoid the development of dog bad breath. There are products on the market now to help you keep your pet's teeth clean and healthy. Cat bad breath can be more difficult to deal with because cats tend to be less cooperative, but depending on your cat, you may have some success. Pet toothpastes are formulated with enzymes to break down the tartar so you can sometimes remove it to a degree even after it is already established on the teeth. Chew toys and bones for dogs are sometimes effective as well. Failing this, book an appointment for your pet to have their teeth professionally cleaned. It's worth it to avoid cat or dog bad breath and the possible health consequences.

Definition of Halitosis

The Gage Canadian Dictionary (Gage, 1997) definition of halitosis is "a disorder characterized by persistent bad or offensive breath." By bad and offensive, they mean foul smelling. Wikipedia says that the term halitosis was popularized by the makers of Listerine in about 1921, and used in advertising for their product. It stuck. Halitosis is now a common synonym for bad breath, breath odor, or oral malodor (which is, apparently, the medical term.) Well, volatile sulfur compounds - the molecules in bad breath that smell so bad - by any other name would smell just as bad, but halitosis does make it sound more like a disorder than a personal trait.

In producing a definition of halitosis, we also define the major halitosis symptom: awful smelling breath. It may also come with a tinny, sour or rotten taste in the mouth, a thick white coating on the tongue, and white patches or stones, called tonsiloliths, on the tonsils or in the tonsilar crypts. Things that cause bad breath include gum disease, sinus problems, decreased saliva production, throat infections, and a host of habits including smoking, alcohol consumption, and the enjoyment of certain foods (garlic, anyone?).

Any definition of halitosis should pay tribute to its social implications. Bad breath can indeed be so offensive that once someone gets a whiff of it, they will make sure they keep their distance from you forevermore. They may not say anything - often they don't - but they will likely take a step back and they may avert their face when you are talking. They may resort to indirect ways of telling you your breath is bad, like offering you gum or leaving a bottle of Listerine on your desk. One might consider these types of interactions as another common sort of halitosis symptom.

Although the makers of Listerine created the definition of halitosis as a marketing ploy, perhaps it was a good thing: Listerine made ingenious use of the power of language when they turned breath odor into a halitosis symptom. Bad breath is often not the fault of the person who has it, but the unfortunate result of the proliferation of a certain group of bacterial species in the airless pockets in the mouth. Giving it a name that sounds impersonal, like tonsillitis, or dermatitis, removes some of the social stigma and makes it easier for people to talk about. And it makes it sounds like something we can do something about. Never underestimate the power of a new definition of halitosis.

Natural Cure for Halitosis

The simplest and most natural cure for halitosis (bad breath) is just good oral hygiene. Keeping your mouth clean and healthy will go a long way toward improving your breath. Elements of a good oral hygiene routine include brushing your teeth after each meal and flossing between your teeth at least once a day. You can gently scrape or brush your tongue as well, being sure to get the area right at the back of the tongue as much as possible. See your dentist once or twice a year for a thorough cleaning and a professional assessment of your oral health. A dentist can alert you to early signs of tooth decay and gum disease, and help you treat these conditions. If you're doing all this, you're off to a good start, but unfortunately, bad breath can still occur.

Typically, bad breath is the odor associated with the production of what are called volatile sulfur compounds (VSC) by bacteria that are living in the mouth. These bacteria break down proteins for nutrients, producing the VSC as a byproduct. The more of these bacteria you have in your mouth, the more VSC will be produced: because of a large population of these bacteria, some people have persistent halitosis and medication can help. Prescription drugs for bad breath are not commonly used: most treatments will involve an over the counter medicinal product, or a natural cure for halitosis.

The best bad breath remedies aim to kill or remove VSC producing bacteria in the mouth. Antibacterial compounds such as chlorhexidine, cetylpyridinium chloride, and chlorine dioxide have been proven to kill bacteria. They alleviate halitosis and medication on the market often contains these chemicals. Not surprisingly, however, many people are reluctant to use these products and they shop for a natural cure for halitosis before resorting to the chemical formulas.

Home remedies for bad breath include such things as mixing baking soda with hydrogen peroxide for a homemade mouthwash, chewing on sprigs of fresh mint or whole cloves, brushing with baking soda, and even chewing sunflower seeds. Each of these is worth trying as a natural cure for halitosis, and if it works, you won't need to look further. If you want to try a commercial product, however, these are also available. Some brands have an extensive line of oral care products, treatments for halitosis and medications that contain natural ingredients for getting rid of the bacteria without harming you.

Tell if You Have Bad Breath

Most of us have wondered if you can tell if you have bad breath. It seems that people who have halitosis often seem unaware that they have it, and it is up to some well-meaning friend to let them in on the bad news. If no one is brave enough to do this, the problem can go on and on. Well, halitosis specialists tell us that it is, in fact, impossible to smell your own bad breath. The smells of our own bodies tend to blend into the background so that we can smell things in the world around us - which means that other people notice our foul smelling breath when we do not.

This article will suggest some ways that you can test yourself for bad breath. They range from very simple to quite complicated and expensive - start with the simple ones first. You may find you get the answer without too much effort. Let's face it, the quickest way to tell if you have bad breath is to breathe in someone's face and ask their opinion. Obviously, you should select your guinea pig carefully: choose someone you trust to tell you the truth and be sensitive to your feelings at the same time. You may want to try the experiment several times to determine if there is an ongoing odor problem, or if it is transient and possibly related to foods or health status. Some advice suggests that you ask a child: you will probably get a very honest reply, if not a sensitive one.

Another simple way to test yourself for bad breath is to use a sort of self-sampling technique. Take a sample of the smell of your tongue by licking the inside of your wrist or the back of your hand. Wait for it to dry, then smell the licked area. If it smells bad you have bad breath. This method just samples the front of your tongue however - sample the back region by rubbing it with a piece of clean gauze, or scraping it gently with the edge of a plastic spoon. Smell the material collected to tell if you have bad breath.

You can actually buy kits and equipment commercially to test yourself for bad breath. Though this can obviously be expensive, an occasional use of these products combined with a regular routine for combating the problem might be a worthwhile way to tell if you have bad breath on an ongoing basis, especially if you do have a problem with halitosis. Products include meters for measuring volatile sulfur compounds on the breath and test vials for sampling the material on the tongue. Individual tests cost in the range of ten or twelve dollars each, while the meter will cost much more but may save money in the long term.

Of course, halitosis specialists have more refined equipment for conducting these tests, and these professionals are probably the best people to give you the definitive answer on the quality of your breath. If you've tried to test yourself for bad breath but you're still not comfortable with the answers, or you want an objective, trained person to tell if you have bad breath, you might want to try these services, You should know however, that even in professional settings, the "smell test" is still the most accurate and commonly used means of judging the odor of someone's breath. You shouldn't have to pay someone to do that.

Listerine Mouthwash

Believe it or not, Listerine mouthwash has been around since 1879, although at that time it was used as an antiseptic during surgery. Apparently it has also been marketed as a cleaning product and as a treatment for gonorrhea. It came into its own as a mouthwash in 1914 and hasn't looked back. Standing the test of time, today it is a top selling brand in the United States and other markets, and has achieved the approval of the American Dental Association, an achievement not to be taken lightly.

Listerine mouthwash now comes in a variety of flavors, mostly variations of mint but also citrus flavor, and formulations include ingredients for tartar control and tooth whitening. Listerine spray, a little spray bottle that can be carried in the pocket, appeared on the market in about 2005. Testing of the product has supported the claim that Listerine mouthwash effectively kills oral bacteria, reduces buildup of plaque, and helps prevent gingivitis. There's no question that Listerine is one of the top products in its class for treating bad breath.

Active ingredients in Listerine include thymol, eucalyptol, methyl salicilate, and menthol. It is interesting that, though the product is very effective, it does not contain chlorhexidine, cetylpyridinium chloride, chlorine dioxide, or any of the other chemicals so ubiquitous in other brands of mouthwash. If it were not such a long standing commercial brand, we would probably consider it a natural remedy for bad breath. It does contain one inactive ingredient of concern, however, as does Listerine spray: alcohol.

The alcohol in Listerine mouthwash is added to dissolve the other ingredients, and to aid penetration of oral plaque on the teeth. In Listerine spray it probably chiefly serves the first purpose. Alcohol does something else, however, that is not good: it dries out the tissues of your mouth. Drying is not good because saliva is one of our main natural defenses against overgrowth of the bacteria that cause bad breath. A dry mouth is usually a malodorous mouth. Many people would recommend, then, that you stay away from mouthwashes and other oral products that contain alcohol. It may be more of a problem with Listerine spray than with the wash: a blast of alcohol into the mouth numerous times during the day, when you are not otherwise brushing or rinsing, is sure to have more of a drying effect. (And by the way, use of an alcoholic breath freshener can cause you to fail a highway breathalyzer test, should you be unfortunate enough to find yourself in that position.)

Though the issue with alcohol is a valid one, Listerine mouthwash works for many people, so it is not a fatal flaw. If you're searching for a trusted breath freshener, by all means try it. If you're disappointed in the results, or if you would rather stay away from the alcohol based brands (Listerine is by no means the only mouthwash to include alcohol), there are lots of other products to try.

Cepacol

There are a number of popular commercially available mouthwashes on the market today that contain bacteria killing ingredients. Examples of these are Listerine, Cepacol, Scope, Therabreath and many others. Typical ingredients for killing bacteria are chlorhexidine, cetylpyridinium chloride, chlorine dioxide, and sodium chlorite. The idea is simple: because uncomplicated bad breath is caused by the proliferation of bacteria in the mouth, an effective mouthwash will kill off these bacteria, prevent them from proliferating, and maybe even neutralize the bad smelling compounds that they produce.

If you suffer from halitosis, an antibacterial mouthwash will be an integral part of your oral care routine. In choosing such a product, there are a number of things you should watch out for. Products such as Cepacol and Scope contain cetylpyridinium chloride, an ingredient that has been shown to kill odor producing bacteria and slow the formation of dental plaque. Other brands contain chlorhexidine, another chemical proven to have the some effects. Unfortunately, formulations contain other ingredients that tend to interfere with the action of these antiseptic agents, so the effect in your mouth may not as pronounced as it might. Ingredients such as alcohol and glycerin also tend to dry out the tissues in the mouth and the tooth enamel, which leads to halitosis and sensitive teeth in some people.

The Cepacol brand name is perhaps better known for its sore throat remedies, and again, cetylpyridinium chloride is the ingredient added to kill off bacteria that are causing infection or simply colonizing the mouth and throat. As an antibacterial mouthwash, it seems to work moderately well when used consistently and incorporated with a regular routine of tooth brushing, flossing and professional dental care. If you achieve less than wonderful results, however, consider trying an antibacterial mouthwash that doesn't contain alcohol or glycerin.

Though products like Listerine and Cepacol have been on the market for many years, they have not solved the problem of bad breath, and ongoing scientific research continues to explore the causes of bad breath and the effects of antibacterial mouthwash. In recent years new theories have led to approaching the problem in new ways, and promising products have appeared on the market. They include the Therabreath products, which incorporate sodium chlorite and zinc, and 2 Phase Mouthwash, which uses olive oil to mop up bacteria in the mouth. If you are searching for an alternative to well known products such as Cepacol and Listerine, it's worth researching the theory behind these new products and the claims that they make about their ability to control bad breath.

Teeth Bleaching Kits

Recently, the rage in oral hygiene seems to be teeth bleaching kits. In reality, the issue is not a hygienic one at all: healthy human teeth come in a natural range of shades of ivory and off-white. Foods and beverages such as tea, and habits like smoking will stain the teeth, but a good dental cleaning done by a professional dental hygienist will remove these stains and restore your teeth to their natural color. If you really want them whiter, a range of professional treatments and over the counter products are available for you to choose from.

Bleaching teeth is usually accomplished with peroxide - the peroxide is applied to the teeth topically and left on for a period of time. The method of application varies between teeth bleaching kits, and you may have to repeat the procedure several days in a row to complete the process. Though some of the higher end kits are quite expensive, the general rule is, as with so many other things, you get what you pay for.

Teeth bleaching kits that require you to paint the whitening agent onto the surface of your teeth and let it dry seem, at first glance, to be the easiest to use; however, you may have difficulty getting an even result because if some of the agent is rubbed or licked off before the rest, bleaching will end in that area. Once the teeth are unevenly colored, it can be difficult to attain an even color again. A further disadvantage of this method is that these formulas for bleaching teeth often contain alcohol and glycerin, which have a drying effect on the oral tissues and tooth enamel - damage that can lead to other problems (such as bad breath and sensitive teeth) later.

Some teeth bleaching kits contain strips that are applied to the teeth like tape. The whitening agent is on the strip and acts on the teeth as long as it is left in place. The difficulty with this kit design is that it is quite difficult to make sure the tape contacts all the contoured surfaces of the teeth: bleaching teeth this way can result in white outer surfaces, but stained grooves in the surface and stained areas between the teeth where they curve inwards. To get even whitening, you have to make sure the entire surface area of the tooth is exposed to the peroxide.

Perhaps the least comfortable, but most effective home teeth bleaching kits include little trays, like the ones many dentists use to apply fluoride to teeth. The whitening agent is put into the tray and then the tray is applied over the teeth so that the entire surface of each tooth is effectively exposed. Formulas that contain peroxide at a concentration greater than 20 percent provide the best results for bleaching teeth, and again, watch out for kits that contain alcohol and glycerin.

Scope Mouthwash

An over the counter bad breath remedy that has been around for many years is the Proctor and Gamble product, Scope mouthwash. Not only has it stood the test of time, but it has morphed into a product with a whole range of flavors and varying formulations. It is not just a scented product designed to mask the odor of bad breath, but a treatment to kill the bacteria that cause the odor.

The ingredient that kills bacteria is cetylpyridinium chloride, a chemical that has been shown in scientific studies to fight off the kinds of bacteria that live in the mouth and produce volatile sulfur compounds, the bad smelling molecules in halitosis. The activity of this chemical also reduces build-up of plaque and assists in the treatment of gum disease. Scope mouthwash, then, contains a potent tool against bad breath.

On the flip side, apart from cetylpyridinium chloride, Scope mouthwash also contains both alcohol and glycerin, products that tend to have a drying effect on mouth tissues - and when the mouth is dry, there is not enough saliva to assist with the mouth's natural bacteria-fighting defenses. This contributes to bad breath and periodontal disease, so Scope mouthwash may not be reaching it's full potential to fight halitosis. Some producers of bad breath remedies avoid both of these ingredients in their formulas, and it is worth noting that the alcohol contributes to several risks associated with this otherwise very safe product: flammability, and the risk of intoxication when the product is ingested.

Scientific study has also found that, even without the reduction in saliva, the antibacterial effect of cetylpyridinium chloride is inhibited by other common ingredients in oral products, which means that the bacteria killed by the chemical in laboratory testing may not be so readily killed once the chemical is mixed with other ingredients to produce Scope mouthwash, and possibly even mixed with other oral care products in the mouth.

If you use Scope mouthwash, don't use other oral care products at the same time, and be sure to spit the mouthwash out rather than swallowing. Give the cetylpyridinium chloride a chance to work by following the manufacturers instructions carefully. If you don't get the results you were hoping for, try one of the other over the counter bad breath remedies, many of which contain alternate antibacterial ingredients. Every mouth is different - you may have to shop around to find the remedy that's right for you.

Tooth Whitening Kits

Before the days of tooth whitening kits, we had to go to the dentist to have our teeth bleached - like having your hair dyed by a hairdresser, or getting your nails done. Now, there are over the counter products available for a do-it-yourself teeth bleaching job. But, like bleaching your own hair, there are risks to skipping the expense of having a professional do it. Select your bleaching product with care.

Some tooth whitening gel is applied to the surface of the teeth and left on overnight. this type of product often contains alcohol or glycerin because you need it to dry quickly once it is applied to your teeth - after all, the mouth is a wet place and if the product does not dry before you close your mouth, some of it will get rubbed off by your lips and tongue. There are two problems with these tooth whitening kits. One is that you may indeed rub some of the gel off, resulting in a patchy bleaching job. The other is that substances like alcohol can have a drying effect on all the tissues of the mouth, and this will contribute to bad breath.

Other tooth whitening kits use bleaching strips that are applied to the teeth. These stay on reliably, but often do not contact the entire surface of the tooth - the indented surfaces between the teeth don't get bleached while the fronts of the teeth do. This can result in an odd visual effect that is probably not what you want. Depending on the brand and your teeth, you may get satisfactory results with tooth whitening gel and other kits, but you may also get a less that stellar result.

The best tooth whitening gel is one that is applied to the teeth by covering them with a form-fitting tray full of whitening agent. This bathes all surfaces of the tooth in the bleach. The product should contain neither alcohol nor glycerin. Effective bleaching agents usually contain a high concentration of hydrogen peroxide. Clean your teeth thoroughly before using the treatment, and leave the tray on for the time specified in the tooth whitening kits instructions. If you use the right kit, you should get good results without doing any harm to your mouth.

Oral Care Supplies

There are many sources of oral care supplies, most of them consumer outlets rather than medical establishments. Where you choose to purchase things like toothbrushes, dental floss, mouthwashes and rinses, tongue scrapers, breath spray etc. will depend on your level of concern about your oral health and your familiarity with the alternatives. Today, the alternatives are extensive.

Oral care products are available from dentists, dental hygienists, and other oral health professionals. Many dentists give things like toothbrushes and dental floss away free in order to encourage people to engage in a regular program of dental self-care. Dentists also have access to other oral care supplies like tooth whitening systems that are not available over the counter. If you're interested in pursuing high-end systems of this kind, consult your dentist.

Many oral care supplies are, of course, available in pharmacies and even groceries as over the counter products. All of the basic supplies used by the average person are to be found here, and toothbrushes, in particular, are available in a very wide array of choice, from a basic toothbrush to an electric model. If you need advice about the best oral care products consult your dentist, and be sure to tell him or her about any particular concerns you have, such as tooth sensitivity of halitosis. Your dentist has the benefit of years of experience and the experience of other patients, and can provide you with informed advice.

In recent years, a number of independent providers of oral care products have sprung up, many of them focusing on the prevalent issue of bad breath, but selling other oral care supplies at the same time. Like so many companies in today's' technological world, these vendors usually have websites, and conduct a global mail order business on the internet. Their products tend to approach the problem in innovative ways and may indeed represent a revolution in dealing with halitosis. Like any product, you have to try it yourself to see if it will work, but the convenient thing is that we can go shopping for these oral care supplies without leaving home.

Sour Taste in Mouth

The phenomenon referred as a "sour taste in mouth" is an elusive entity about which a lot can be said, but very little that is conclusive. To sum it up, theories and sufferers propose that it can be causes by foods (obviously), periodontal disease, underlying disease, vitamin deficiencies, neurological disorders, drugs, dry mouth, and even pregnancy. If you have a persistent problem try to work your way through it by considering your own particular circumstances. Food and pregnancy are easy to rule out - if either of these could be the cause, it will probably pass.

Are you taking any drugs regularly? Many drugs have mild to severe side effects including sour taste in mouth. If possible, discontinue the drug or replace it with another alternative and wait to see if the taste problem clears up. if you can't discontinue or change the drug, you may have to resort to using an oral rinse or mouthwash on a regular basis to keep the problem at a manageable level. If you suspect that the drug is causing dry mouth or gum disease, you may be able to resolve the taste problem by treating the underlying one.

Do you have any underlying disease that might cause a sour taste in mouth? If you have stomach problems, sinus problems, diabetes, respiratory problems, or any one of a host of other medical conditions, you may have found the explanation. Consult your doctor to try to determine if this is the cause. If you don't have any such conditions, telling your doctor about your sour taste in mouth may help him or her to diagnose a previously unrecognized condition.

A neurological disorder is another possibility. Because the brain interprets smells and tastes based on information sent from our sensory organs, a damaged, stressed or diseased brain can misinterpret and tell us that things smell bad when they really are not offensive, or create a phantom sour taste in mouth that really is not there. Recall that epileptic seizures are often preceded by sensory illusions of smell and vision. Though this is probably an uncommon cause of a persistent unpleasant taste, it's worth considering and checking out if the taste recurs or remains constant.

Periodontal disease frequently generates a offensive taste in the mouth, although describing it as a sour taste in mouth is unusual. If periodontal disease is associated with dry mouth - and it often is because a lack of saliva can increase the risk of gum disease and tooth decay - taste may be affected simply because there is not enough saliva to keep the taste buds healthy and moist. Again, treat the dry mouth and the bad taste may very well go away.

Dry Mouth Alternative Remedies

If you suffer from xerostomia, or dry mouth, it seems to make sense to most people look for dry mouth alternative remedies. Perhaps this is because we don't take the condition all that seriously: like dry skin or dry hair, it's just another challenge for daily self-care that one must deal with. Xerostomia, however can be very uncomfortable, can affect daily life and health, and can be caused by more serious medical conditions or drugs. It's important to find out what is causing the condition before selecting a remedy: the best remedy may be a cure for something else!

Prescription medication for dry mouth is available, and is often prescribed by dentists, or by medical specialists who are treating the underlying causes of xerostomia. Some of the prescribed drugs are specifically targeted at known causes, for instance, if the xerostomia is caused by radiation for cancer, a radioprotectant drug may be used. Some other drugs simply stimulate the salivary glands to work harder, so it's important to choose a prescription medication for dry mouth with the help of an experienced professional. Depending on the circumstances, you may want to try dry mouth alternative remedies first, but be sure to discuss it with your health care specialist.

There are a few simple measures you can take to lessen the discomfort of xerostomia. Avoid beverages that contain caffeine or alcohol. Avoid tobacco products. Drinks lots of water and fruit juice, sip water throughout the day, and use an artificial saliva product if you wish. Rinse your mouth after eating or drinking. Brush your teeth with a moist soft-bristle toothbrush and floss regularly. Use sugarless gum and hard candy (sugar promotes tooth decay but having a candy in the mouth stimulates saliva flow). Use a humidifier in the bedroom at night. If these easy tactics don't work, try other dry mouth alternative remedies.

Anything that will stimulate the flow of saliva will combat xerostomia. Some herbs and herbal preparations are known to be particularly effective, and are recommended as dry mouth alternative remedies. Chinese green tea, a tea that is frequently valued for its other possible healthy properties, is a pleasant one that you can try. Chamomile (also sometimes taken as a tea) and ginger are other possibilities. Some of the herbal blends are available from alternative medicine suppliers. Again, because these are not prescription medication for dry mouth, you can get them without a doctor's okay, but a professional diagnosis is still important.

Other dry mouth alternative remedies include acupuncture and dietary adjustments. Consult your local alternative medicine practitioner for more details on these approaches.

Bad Breath White Lumps

In some instances of bad breath white lumps form in the very back of the throat on the tonsils. These are called tonsiloliths, or tonsil stones. Tonsil stones are little stones of accumulated refuse from the sinuses and throat: dead skin cells are always being shed, along with immune cells that patrol your respiratory passages for invading organisms and other foreign objects. You have a constant flow of mucous and saliva past your tonsils, which can be particularly pronounced if you suffer from post nasal drip, or irritated sinuses.

Little accumulations of all this dead material lodge in the tonsillar crypts and can become quite large and hard, often creating a sensation of something being stuck on the back of the throat. Many people notice that they have them, and wonder what they are. If they've noticed that they have bad breath white lumps become a prime suspect for the problem. Tonsiloliths may indeed play a role in halitosis.

Something else that is common in the back of the throat is oral bacteria. The oral cavity contains many different kinds of organisms, some of which have still not been identified. We do know, however, that anaerobic bacteria live on the back of the tongue, where they are protected from oxygen, and break down proteins, including dead skin cells and the other things that accumulate in tonsiloliths. It's no surprise, then, that these bacteria also proliferate in the tonsillar crypts and on tonsil stones when they are present. One more piece of information links bad breath white lumps and anaerobic bacteria.

Anaerobic bacteria smell famously bad - they produce the smell of feces, halitosis, and rotting organic material where there is little air circulation. They do this because they produce malodorous compounds, often called volatile sulfur compounds, when they break down protein molecules. If you know the smell of sulfur (rotten egg), you know how offensive these compounds can be. These compounds are being produced in the tonsiloliths that anaerobic bacteria are living on - bad breath white lumps and anaerobic bacteria are a team.

Tonsiloliths are hard to get rid of: though they eventually dislodge and are swallowed, these bad breath white lumps are sure to recur unless the tonsils are removed. This type of surgery is really not recommended any more, except in exceptional circumstances, so the best remedy is to gargle regularly with a good mouthwash that fights the anaerobes, and try to gently dislodge the larger tonsil stones , if you can.

Chlorophyll and Bad Breath

In the 1950s, someone noticed the odor absorbing qualities of chlorophyll and bad breath remedies appeared that contained this ingredient. Chlorophyll is found in green plants and plays an important role in plant uptake of carbon dioxide, in the presence of sunlight, to produce oxygen and energy. A derivative, chlorophyllin, is more stable and is often the true ingredient in commercial preparations. In nature, it is found in high concentrations in green algae, spinach, and parsley. The most familiar breath products containing this pigment today are Clorets gum and mints.

Initially, there were many more chlorophyll and bad breath products - rinses, toothpastes, mints etc. - and the 1950s saw a bit of a craze with respect to this halitosis remedy. It's popularity didn't really last, however, and most of the products eventually disappeared. The idea of using the pigment to absorb odors remained and it is still being used today for other situations.

The association between chlorophyll and bad breath products continues, but it has become somewhat secondary. Some scientific research has been done on the ability of chlorophyllin to remove fecal and urinary odors in patients with colostomies and urinary incontinence. The results, though not astounding, were positive enough to make the pigment a common dietary supplement for this application. It has also been recommended as a remedy for foot odor, and may have other health benefits such as providing protection against cancer and certain other diseases. After almost fifty years of use for one reason or another, one thing is certain - this substance is quite safe.

Clorets products remain on the market, a testament to the popularity of the product when most other chlorophyll and bad breath products have been forgotten, Although its effect on halitosis has not been scientifically studied, anecdotal reports suggest that's its major strength may lie in its ability to mask the odor of cigarette smoke. Interestingly, deer hunters who smoke recommend Clorets to prevent deer from catching human scent downwind.

There may be something to the suggestion that chlorophyllin can absorb the odor of halitosis to some extent. Remember, however, that the claims with respect to chlorophyll and bad breath only address odor reduction: no one is saying that this substance can actually attack the causes of halitosis and cure the problem. At best, it is a band aid solution.

Bad Breath and Chewing Tabacco

Most people know that smoking causes halitosis but think that bad breath and chewing tabacco aren't a problem. If you're not exhaling smoke, how could it cause a bad odor on the breath? Unfortunately, just as chewing tobacco carries its own risk of cancers and other health problems, it comes with a link to halitosis as well.

It's known that tobacco use is linked to periodontal disease: tobacco apparently causes the gums to lose some of their ability to adhere to the teeth. They start to pull away and then recede, exposing dentin and creating pockets between the teeth and gums where bacteria can grow. Exposed dentin is sensitive to heat and cold, and susceptible to tooth decay, while oral bacteria frequently include those that produce sulfur compounds, the odor we associate with halitosis. This is one way that bad breath and chewing tabacco go hand in hand.

Periodontal disease is a slow chronic disease and it takes an extended period of time to develop; however, there is a more immediate connection between bad breath and chewing tabacco. Tobacco causes a decrease in the amount of saliva that is produced to bathe the inside of the mouth and control the proliferation of oral bacteria. Anaerobic bacteria (bacteria that grow in the absence of oxygen) living on the back of the tongue and in pockets and creases elsewhere in the mouth are controlled by saliva. These bacteria cause halitosis by producing foul smelling volatile sulfur compounds as a byproduct of their metabolism. The fewer of them you have in your mouth the better.

Obviously, the longer you go on using tobacco, the more likely you are to develop bad breath as a result. If you are fostering the growth of halitosis bacteria, and developing gum disease, the risk will be higher. In the unhappy event that you develop oral infections or even mouth cancer, your halitosis will likely be very severe. Let's face it, bad breath and chewing tabacco just don't belong in your life. You will be healthier, and your mouth will be much more comfortable if you avoid tobacco use of any kind.

Smell and Bad Breath

Have you ever noticed that an acute sense of smell and bad breath don't seem to come together in the same person? That is, people with halitosis often breathe right in your face without making any effort to conceal or divert the odor - they don't seem to know it's there. In fact, when someone asks you anxiously whether their breath is bad, it usually isn't. How can we explain this paradox?

Many people have noted that when it comes to our own breath smell is unreliable. We seem incapable of detecting an unpleasant odor coming from our own mouths, probably because the nose is constantly bathed in the smell from the mouth and more or less cancels it out: a large part of taste is smell, generated by food odors traveling up the back of the oral cavity to receptors in the back of the nose when we have food in our mouths. Our own body smell and bad breath odor seem normal to us.

It seems that the best way to connect smell and bad breath is to get someone else to make the judgment. The family physician may be the best person to ask because your dignity will suffer less and you are more likely to get a really honest answer. If this isn't an option, select a really good friend - one who you trust to be honest, sensible, and impartial - and ask them to judge your breath odor. Make sure that you don't do anything ahead of time to make your breath smell different from usual: avoid coffee, alcohol, strong flavored foods, tobacco, breath fresheners, and anything else you think might affect the experiment. You don't want to hear, "I can't tell the difference between the cheese smell and bad breath!"

There is one way you may be able to judge your own breath smell if you really can't get help from anyone else. Simply lick the inside of your wrist and then sniff your wrist. If your wrist smells bad to you, your breath probably smells that way to others. Before you do this, consider the same precautions as if you were having a friend sniff your breath: your wrist should be clean (no perfume, scented body lotion, or anything else that might affect your sense of smell and bad breath detection) and again, don't eat anything that might change the odor of your breath at that moment. Be aware, also, of odors in the environment that might affect your smell test.

Halitosis Odors

Halitosis is a word commonly used to refer to bad breath, and halitosis odors can come from a variety of sources. Most commonly, bad breath comes from the mouth, specifically from the back of the tongue where lots of bacteria are living, breaking down proteins found in saliva, dead cells from the body, and bits of food left there from your last meal. In the process of breaking down these proteins, the bacteria give off gases that contain sulfur molecules (often called volatile sulfur compounds), and these are the source of the offensive odor we frequently detect on the breath of others.

Classic bad breath from the mouth is probably the most offensive of halitosis odors, but there are other odors that can show up on the breath. Garlic is a well-known source of garlic breath, another manifestation of sulfur molecules that escapes not only on the breath but in the sweat as well. Onions, curry dishes, and strong cheeses can come back to you on your breath too. Smoker's breath is another common breath odor that persists on the exhalations and clothes of a smoker. These halitosis odors are obviously the result of personal habits, and if the habit persists, so will the bad breath.

Medical conditions are another source of halitosis odors, and these can range from "sweet smelling" to very offensive, depending on what is wrong. In the case of ketoacidosis, a dangerous complication of diabetes, breath is sweet smelling because of metabolic products that are being expelled in the breath. At the other end of the range, malignancy (cancer) of the upper respiratory passages can have a foul odor that is detected on the breath. Liver and kidney problems can also result in odd smells on the breath, so if a strange odor is noted and it can't be explained by oral bad breath or a recently eaten food, a visit to the doctor is in order.

Finally, drugs can cause peculiar halitosis odors ranging from chemical smells to odors that are less easily described. If you're are taking medications and you notice an unusual taste or odor, or if someone else remarks that there is a strange odor on your breath, check with your doctor or pharmacist to see if your medications might be the cause. Unless it is particularly offensive, this is one type of breath odor you can probably live with.

Bad Breath and Smoking

For most of us, there's a clear correlation between bad breath and smoking: if you smoke, you will have an offensive tobacco odor on your breath that all non-smokers will detect if they are close enough. Of course, a tobacco odor also tends to linger on the clothes and hair of a smoker, so tobacco on the breath is probably not a very large issue. Surprisingly, however, there are more pieces of the puzzle that tie bad breath to smoking in other ways.

Smoking apparently inhibits saliva production. This is a problem because saliva plays an important role in inhibiting the multiplication of anaerobic bacteria, which live at the back of the tongue, and sometimes in spaces between teeth and gums, and between the teeth. These anaerobic bacteria (bacteria which live where there is no oxygen) produce volatile sulfur compounds (VSC) when they digest proteins for nutrients. So bad breath and smoking go hand in hand because smoking decreases saliva and a decrease in saliva results in an increase in VSC producing anaerobes in the mouth.

Smoking also increases the risk of gum disease and tooth decay. Smokers apparently have more cavities that non-smokers. They also have gums that tend to detach from the teeth and recede, leaving exposed roots and spaces between gums and teeth where those VSC producing bacteria can flourish. The roots of the teeth, which are supposed to be protected by healthy gums, are not covered with enamel, so they are more subject to tooth decay. In this scenario, bad breath and smoking result from an unhealthy mouth full of tooth decay, periodontal disease, and proliferating VSC producing bacteria.

It's not just bad breath and smoking that you need to worry about: other tobacco products carry similar risks. Pipe smoking and cigar smoking cause all the same problems as cigarette smoking, and chewing tobacco has all these and more. Smokeless tobacco frequently has sugar added to it, and may contain particles of grit, both of which have implications for oral health. The association between sugar and dental cavities is well known, and chewing on sand will put wear and tear on tooth enamel, also contributing to tooth decay.

So it's not just the odor of cigarette smoke on the breath and that brownish yellow stain on the teeth that you need to think about when you get close to someone else. The best solution is, of course, to quit smoking, but if you can't do that, use a good breath product that will help control the VSC producing bacteria that link bad breath and smoking. That will help a bit.

Fabulous Breath

We all wish we could have fabulous breath all the time, but that's a distant dream for most people. You either know you have halitosis and fight a constant battle with it, or you fear that you have halitosis and take great pains to avoid breathing directly in someone else's face. In Western culture, we seem to have developed a concept of personal space that keeps us a relatively safe distance from the nearest other person.

Still, there are times when your breath fabulous or malodorous is going to contact someone else's nose - at the moment of a kiss on the cheek, or lips, for example, or in a crowded lineup for movie tickets. It would be nice if you could be sure it would be fabulous breath, or at the very least, inoffensive. About the only way to be sure at that moment is to pop a breath mint in your mouth, or a stick of mint gum.

No doubt about it, breath mints, breath sprays, and other breath products that you can carry in your pocket do produce momentarily fabulous breath. All too soon however, the flush of strong mint flavor fades, the gum loses it's flavor, the breath strip disintegrates and you are left with the same old dirty sock taste - your breath fabulous moments ago reverts to bad. For the most part, pocket size breath fresheners are cover-ups: they mask the odor of halitosis briefly, but do nothing to change the conditions in your mouth that are causing the problem.

To make your breath fabulous in a permanent way, you have to change the situation in your mouth. Think of your mouth as a garden full of fragrant wild flowers (the producers of fabulous breath), but with more than a few stink weeds. You encourage the wildflowers when you brush and floss your teeth and take care of your gums and tongue. Sometimes, however the stink weeds get a real foothold and start to multiply, producing a nasty smell that overpowers the wildflowers (in your mouth, the equivalent of stinkweeds are bacteria that produce bad smelling sulfur compounds). To get rid of the smell and have fabulous breath, you need to weed.

So get yourself a good weeding tool – an oral care product that kills the odor-producing bacteria in your mouth – and remember that if you stop weeding and neglect the garden, the stink weeds will come back. You’ll have to remain vigilant if you want fabulous breath.

Dry Mouth Causes

It's a simple fact that having a dry mouth causes bad breath. It is probably not immediately obvious to many of us why this should be so, but the explanation makes sense when you think about it. Our mouths are being constantly bathed by saliva. It keeps the tissues moist and contains antibodies and enzymes that help fight off infection. It plays a key role in controlling the population of bacteria and other microorganisms that live in our mouths.

There are billions of bacteria living in our mouths - and before you rush for the antiseptic mouthwash, you should know that they are meant to be there. In most cases, they do no harm at all and even assist in breaking down food particles and preventing infection. Having a dry mouth causes some bacteria to do better, and others to do poorly. To make matters worse, among the causes of dry mouth are things that actually provide nutrients for an undesirable group of bacteria - the ones that cause bad breath.

What are the causes of dry mouth? Well, first, there are things that decrease saliva flow. Sleep is one. Advancing age is another. Many drugs cause a decrease in saliva production as a side effect, as do alcohol and coffee, and of course, some medical conditions are dry mouth causes. When there is less saliva in the mouth, the environment at the back of the tongue where odor-producing bacteria live becomes more anaerobic, that is, there is less oxygen there, which favors the proliferation of these undesirable bacteria.

Other causes of dry mouth include exposure to air with a natural drying effect. Breathing through the mouth is the main factor here. It happens when we sleep and is worse if we snore. It happens when there is nasal congestion or inflammation of the sinuses, and some people just habitually breath through the mouth. Unfortunately, nasal congestion and sinus drainage, besides being dry mouth causes, contribute to bad breath by delivering nutrients to the back of the tongue in the form of nutrient rich drainage down the back of the throat.

Clearly, there are some causes of dry mouth that can be avoided. Coffee, alcohol, and some drugs are optional. Snoring can sometimes be treated, and humidity can be added to the air in a bedroom with a humidistat or humidifier. Colds and sinus problems can often be treated if they don't clear up on their own. Other dry mouth causes, however are simply not going to go away, and for these, you'll need to tackle the resulting halitosis with a good commercial product that acts on the odor-producing bacteria causing the problem at the back of the mouth.

Bad Breath Remedies

A few types of bad breath remedies have been around for a long time. It seemed to start with television ads about morning breath, and quickly progressed to talk of antibacterial ingredients that would kill harmful bacteria in the mouth and leave us all with fresh smelling breath. We've now progressed to acknowledging that, for many people, halitosis isn't just a morning problem, it's an all day problem, and it can be a social problem of personally devastating proportions.

We know a lot more about the causes of halitosis now as well, and the legions of bad breath remedies have divided into two main camps: the products that have a strong taste and odor that simply aim to overpower the halitosis, and the products that are specifically aimed at the bacteria that are causing the problem. The very best bad breath treatment will be a product that targets the bacteria responsible, while leaving all the other normal, protective microorganism in the mouth unscathed.

The additive chlorhexidine was probably the first antibacterial ingredient in bad breath remedies that had a significant impact on the odor-producing bacteria. These bacteria live in the oxygen-free environment at the back of the tongue and produce sulfur compounds as part of their regular activities. Chlorhexidine kills them. It never kills all of them however, and one must maintain regular rinses with a bad breath treatment containing chlorhexidine in order to stay ahead of the halitosis.

Today, a new trend in bad breath remedies is bringing us a collection of natural approaches to killing off halitosis bacteria. Some of these approaches deliver oxygen to the back of the mouth so that the anaerobic environment there is disrupted, and the bacteria are unable to live. Again, this bad breath treatment has to be maintained over the long term, but it is appealing in that it prevents the bacteria from growing in the first place, rather than killing them off after they are already there.

Another of the new bad breath remedies uses a two-step approach with an olive oil rinse that just mops up the bacteria and carries them off. This bad breath treatment is based on the interesting fact that the bacteria in question tend to adhere to oil droplets - and that olive oil is undoubtedly safe and probably even beneficial to health.

One last intriguing approach to bad breath treatment uses the idea of probiotics: where there are harmful or undesirable bacteria, the introduction of beneficial friendly bacteria may crowd the undesirables out. For an example of how this works, imagine how the sudden introduction of some new species into an area (say, gray squirrels where only red squirrels are living) can push the native species out and even make them extinct in that ecological area. The mouth is an ecological area as well, and a little healthy competition can be a great addition to the world of bad breath remedies.

Sinus Drainage Bad Breath

Have you heard of sinus drainage bad breath? This condition implies that the bad breath is coming from the sinuses; however, that is usually not the case. When draining sinuses contribute to halitosis, the odor is coming from the back of the mouth, just as it does with regular halitosis.

When there is a problem in a sinus bad breath results for a very simple reason: drainage from the sinus runs down the back of the throat and onto the very back of the tongue. The drainage is a rich source of protein because it contains dead sinus cells that have sloughed off, blood cells, pus cells, and other molecules produced by the body. These are the exact things that oral bacteria like to use for nutrients. With a steady food supply from sinus drainage bad breath increases with the increase of bacteria.

The bacteria that are particularly known for producing sinus drainage bad breath, and other bad breath as well, are anaerobes, meaning that they live in an oxygen free environment. They cannot withstand significant amounts of oxygen - the back of the tongue is a perfect place for them to hide. They get down in the little grooves between tongue papillae and taste buds, and just wait for food to come to them. When it does, they take what they need and produce foul smelling volatile sulfur compounds as an accidental byproduct of metabolism. Unfortunately for the person with an inflamed sinus bad breath is the final result.

The good thing is that treating sinus drainage bad breath is really no different from treating any other type of bad breath. Many people suffer from post nasal drip, which essentially produces the same type of sinus bad breath. Bad breath products that work for regular bad breath will work just as well for these situations. Of course, a product that works by decreasing the population of anaerobes living at the back of the tongue will be the most effective. Look for oral care products that are antibacterial in some way - they may physically remove tongue bacteria or they may kill them. Either should help decrease the odor on your breath and allow you to focus on alleviating the discomfort of the sinus problem, instead of worrying about your sinus drainage bad breath.

Morning Breath

It would be tough to find a person who has never suffered from morning breath. We wake up in the morning feeling as though our mouths have been immobile all night long. Indeed, they probably have been. The oral cavity is either parchment dry, from breathing through the mouth (worse if you snore), or glued together from a lack of free flowing saliva. We force our lips to move: the first word is a croak.

Morning breath is actually a consequence of naturally decreased saliva production: the body produces less saliva while we sleep. Since saliva is a potent force against the oral bacteria that produce bad breath, a decrease in saliva allows those bacteria to proliferate during the night - and proliferation of those bacteria means production of volatile sulfur compounds (VSC), which smell really bad and are the main component of bad breath.

Fortunately, morning breath is a transient thing - once we are up and around, and have brushed and rinsed, the higher daytime flow of saliva resumes and all is well in the mouth (unless there is a chronic problem with VSC-producing bacteria). For most of us, a regular program of oral hygiene is all that's needed: brush and floss regularly, and clean the tongue, especially if you notice a white or yellowish coating on it in the morning. Morning breath should be easily vanquished.

There are a few things that make morning breath worse: coffee, alcohol, smoking, snacking during the night, poor oral hygiene, and sinus congestion, to name a few. In addition, many drugs cause a dry mouth, and this effect is accentuated when saliva flow is naturally decreased. These things affect morning breath for different reasons. Some decrease saliva flow; some directly support the proliferation of VSC-producing bacteria by providing nutrients. What's important is that we know they make things worse - avoid them if possible.

If your morning breath bothers you so much that you want to do something significant about it, try stepping up your oral care first. Are you brushing your teeth and rinsing your mouth out first thing in the morning? Are you cleaning your tongue? If these measures seem inadequate, use a good oral rinse that kills or removes VSC-producing bacteria on the tongue. Perhaps you want fresh breath before you even get out of bed - a difficult order to fill, but there are products on the market that claim to stop morning breath from happening at all. Of course, you'd add these into your routine in the evening, before going to sleep.

Breath Drops

Among the many over the counter products available to deal with breath odor, breath drops are probably regarded as one of the most convenient but least effective choices. They are convenient because they can be carried in a pocket or purse and used quickly and surreptitiously in a cloak room or rest room. They are least effective because they usually only provide a quick fix – after a few minutes, the breath odor returns.

If bad breath is due to something trivial, like a strong smelling food, garlic, smoking, or coffee, a quick fix with Rembrandt breath drops, or some other popular brand might be all you really need. If you have a chronic bad breath problem, however, seek out a brand that will help to rid your mouth of the bacteria that are causing the odor – anaerobic bacteria living mostly on your tongue at the back of your mouth.

It’s recommended that you use alcohol free breath drops – although alcohol is antibacterial, it also tends to dry out the tissues of the mouth. Saliva plays an important role in keeping the numbers of halitosis bacteria down, so using preparations with alcohol in them may be counterproductive. A few types of breath drops, including Rembrandt breath drops and TheraBreath drops do not contain alcohol.

Simply avoiding alcohol, however, is not enough to actively reduce the number of odor-producing bacteria in your mouth. In order to do this, you need to kill them or physically remove them. That’s why bad breath specialists recommend a breath care regimen that goes far beyond alcohol free breath drops. The best breath remedies combine cleaning (brushing, flossing, tongue scraping) with something that carries the bacteria away or kills many of them. Popular products, like Altoid mints and Rembrandt breath drops, are good at temporarily fixing your breath – for a longer lasting fix, you’re going to need a more specialized product.

Look for products that contain chlorhexidine, zinc, oxidizing agents like sodium chlorite, or a two-step system using olive oil. These ingredients attack the bacteria, decreasing their numbers and therefore decreasing the odor. Once you find a system that works, you probably won’t have to carry breath drops any more.

Halitosis With Nasal Discharge

Bad breath usually does not mean halitosis with nasal discharge. It is usually a relatively simple matter of the production of bad-smelling volatile sulfur compounds (VSC) by bacteria living on the tongue at the back of the mouth. It is just simple halitosis. In normal chronic bad breath, gum disease or bad teeth are occasionally involved, sinus complications are uncommon.

If you have halitosis with nasal discharge, the two symptoms may be completely unrelated and may need to be dealt with separately. It might be a good idea to consult your doctor for a professional opinion as to whether one is causing the other. If that’s the case, the most likely scenario is that whatever is causing the nasal discharge is also causing the bad odor on the breath.

Certain sinus conditions, such as infection, blockage, foreign material in the sinuses, or chronic inflammation of some other kind, can produce an odor that is not typical of the halitosis we all encounter from time to time. These types of halitosis with discharge cannot be treated with over the counter bad breath products and require professional medical diagnosis and treatment.

Halitosis with nasal discharge may also involve a less visible symptom – post nasal drip. Many people have post nasal drip, where discharge from the sinuses drains down the back of the throat. While this is not a serious condition, it can give rise to bad breath because this discharge tends to drip onto the back of the tongue, where it provides food for the bacteria that produce VSC.

Bacteria that produce VSC need nutrients in order to survive – specifically, they require protein, which they break down into amino acids to support cell metabolism. VSC are a byproduct of this protein degradation. Since sinus drainage contains a variety of protein sources, including antibodies, dead cells, and blood cells, halitosis with nasal discharge can be an indirect result of post nasal drip.

The good news is that even if you can’t clear up the post nasal drip, this type of halitosis with nasal discharge can be treated with bad breath products designed to reduce the population of VSC producing bacteria living on the back of the tongue. Choose a remedy that targets the bacteria rather than the odor, and you should see some improvement.

Fighting Halitosis

It seems that just about everyone is fighting halitosis – even if we don’t have it, we’re all taking daily measures to make sure we don’t get it. People who do have it, of course, have more reason to spend a lot of time and energy on the problem. Unfortunately, a lot of time, energy, and money are wasted on the wrong types of precautions.

To fight halitosis, good oral hygiene habits are an excellent place to start. Regular brushing, daily flossing, professional dental cleaning and gum health assessment several times a year, and healthy eating habits all go a long way towards fending off bad breath problems. However, many people do all these things and they’re still fighting halitosis, while others are not so diligent and have no problems. Why?

Bad breath isn’t always the individuals fault, in fact, it often occurs due to factors beyond anyone’s control. When anaerobic bacteria get a foothold in the mouth, usually at the back of the tongue, they produce what’s known as volatile sulfur compounds that smell foul. Fighting halitosis means dislodging these bacteria and getting rid of them, and that’s not easy to do. It’s nobody’s fault that they are there, but to fight halitosis and win against these bacteria, you’ll need to target them specifically.

There are a handful of good approaches to fighting halitosis, and all of them target the anaerobic bacteria that are causing the odor, rather than just covering up the odor itself. (There are lots of products that fight halitosis by masking the odor, but these are just cover-up approaches that don’t solve the problem.) The good products get rid of the bacteria by removing them (tongue cleaning or oil rinses that get them off the tongue and physically carry them away), or killing them (application of chemicals or oxygen-containing substances.)

Unfortunately, no product for fighting halitosis that is currently available will eradicate the odor producing bacteria completely and permanently. If you let up on the fight halitosis will return. In most cases, in order to keep bad breath away, it’s necessary to continue using the product that works best for you, and combine it with those good hygienic habits that ensure a healthy mouth.

TheraBreath Review

This article is a brief TheraBreath review – a review of one of the more popular bad breath remedies available on the internet. The product line deserves some scrutiny because it enjoys such high rankings in Google that it invariably comes up on the first page, no matter what bad breath related search terms you use. So, what’s it all about?

TheraBreath, sometimes spelled Thera breath, is a relatively new product developed by a Dr. Harold Katz, a medical professional with credentials in both dentistry and microbiology. This is an ideal mix of education for a bad breath specialist because bad breath, or halitosis, originates in the mouth and is caused by the activities of bacteria. To learn more about the originator of TheraBreath review the background information on the website.

The Thera breath website not only provides information and access to the various products offered, but also gives an explanation of how the products work to cure halitosis – and unlike the information provided with many medicinal products offered to the public, Katz’s explanation is based on solid medical knowledge and scientific information. It makes sense. Again, to read what he says about the science behind TheraBreath review his articles on the product website.

Katz is to be commended for the variety of products his Thera breath line includes: clients can choose from a range of washes and rinses, sprays, toothpastes, mints, gum, breath strips, tongue scrapers and other oral care accessories, nasal sprays, and kits including a selection of products. The variety is too vast for this TheraBreath review to discuss comprehensively, but Katz’s website, of course, showcases them all.

As is typical of over the counter and natural remedies, and even prescription medications, Thera breath won’t work for everybody, and will work best when combined with an ongoing routine of oral care that includes regular cleaning of the teeth and tongue, and professional care from a dentist. Healthy lifestyle and diet help too. Before choosing TheraBreath, review the products available, the information on the site, and other sources of information about halitosis. Then, if you’re sure you need a commercial product, why not give Thera breath a try – the prices are reasonable and it may very well work.

Tongue Cleaner

If you are trying to treat a case of chronic bad breath, you might want to try using a tongue cleaner. This might seem like an odd approach, but it makes a lot of sense when you consider that most bad breath actually comes from the back of the tongue. The surface of the tongue is covered with little mounds called papillae that are, in turn, covered with taste buds. In all the little grooves and valleys between the taste buds and papillae, bacteria are living. Many of these bacteria are anaerobes, bacteria that flourish in the absence of oxygen. Anaerobes smell very bad.

Tucked away in the back of the tongue, anaerobes lie protected from oxygen, mouthwashes, and other things that might sweep them away – a tongue scraper can remove large numbers of them, especially if it is used regularly. Many people just use their toothbrush as a tongue cleaner, brushing the tongue when they brush their teeth. A toothbrush is not the ideal tool however.

As a tongue scraper, a regular toothbrush is a bit big. The thickness of a toothbrush when it is held with the bristles down (as it would be to brush the tongue), is certainly big enough to activate the gag reflex if it is pushed too far back in the mouth. People who use a toothbrush for a tongue cleaner probably don’t get far enough back to contact the majority of the bacteria that cause bad breath. In addition, the bristles of a toothbrush are a bit harsh to be used on the tongue – used too vigorously, they can cause soreness.

An ordinary teaspoon is a better choice. Used face down as a tongue scraper a teaspoon can remove considerable amounts of the material coating the back of the tongue. Again, however, the spoon was not designed to be a tongue cleaner: the shape is not quite right and hard metal edges can damage tender tissues at the back of the mouth and top of the throat.

East Indian people have been using tongue scrapers for generations and in recent years, Western oral health professionals have designed instruments for scraping the tongue that are both gentle and effective. If you want to use a tongue cleaner, consider buying a tool properly designed for the job. It can make a big difference to your breath.

Chronic Halitosis

A lot of people suffer from chronic halitosis, or bad breath. In fact, as many as half the North American population suffers from it to some degree. Perhaps that is why the quality of our breath is something of a North American preoccupation. Almost everybody is conscious of their breath and will take steps to avoid breathing in someone else’s face if there is any chance their breath is going to smell bad.

For some of us, it’s an imaginary problem. Our chronic halitosis boils down to chronic fear of halitosis, and if we investigated, say, took a poll of friends or consulted a doctor, we’d find that no one else has detected a problem with our breath. For others, however, the problem is all too real, and strategies to remedy halitosis are sorely needed.

When it comes to finding a remedy chronic halitosis can be a challenge. This is because many products don’t really treat the problem, they just treat the symptom, which is the unpleasant odor on the breath. Bad breath will continue until we find a way to stop that unpleasant odor from being produced in the first place.

The odor is actually volatile sulfur compounds, molecules containing sulfur that are produced by bacteria living in the moth, mostly at the back of the tongue. Think of the smell of rotten eggs, or the sulfur smell you notice after striking a match. The smell of bad breath is the smell of similar compounds. To remedy chronic halitosis, you need to get rid of the bacteria that are producing these compounds. It won’t be easy.

In the end, you may remedy chronic halitosis but you will never really get rid of the bacteria – you will just reduce them to levels low enough that the volatile sulfur compounds they are producing are no longer detectable on the breath. They will return in odorous numbers if you relax your guard, so make sure you plan to keep using the remedy indefinitely if you really want to be free of the problem.

Many products claim to remedy chronic halitosis if used consistently and as directed. Mouthwashes containing zinc or chlorhexidine are among these commercially available products. Olive oil, Tea tree oil, chlorine dioxide, and sodium chlorite are active ingredients in natural remedies that have some potential. The good thing is that there are a number of different products with very different approaches, so if one doesn’t work for you, another might.

Chewing Gum and Bad Breath

Many people are frequent consumers of chewing gum and bad breath is one of the reasons why. There are innumerable variations on mint flavored chewing gum, all designed to make your breath smell minty and fresh, not to mention cinnamon flavor, and fruit flavors. There are some brands of popular chewing gum specifically marketed for halitoisis, but any gum will do in a pinch. North Americans spend millions of dollars on gum every year because we prefer its taste to the taste of our mouths.

Chewing gum and bad breath is sometimes a winning combination, especially if the halitosis is caused by a food. We all know that having garlic with lunch will make one an outcast for the rest of the day – unless everyone else around shared the meal. Gum will certainly help mute garlic breath. Odors on the breath due to other foods are even more easily masked, and the good news is that the condition is temporary in any case. It’s a good idea to carry some gum for those times when you need a quick and temporary fix.

But all cases of halitosis are not created equal: when the air that comes out of your mouth smells rotten all the time and it has nothing to do with food, you can load up the chewing gum and bad breath won’t budge. The strongest mint gum will only cover up the problem for a minute or two, and even a dedicated routine of oral cleaning doesn’t seem to make much difference. In these cases, you need a halitosis product that’s going to act on the source of the odor.

In most cases that rotten odor is coming from the back of the mouth, specifically the back of the tongue. There, bacteria are breaking down proteins and releasing sulfur compounds that smell foul. Breath mints, chewing gum and bad breath products purchased in pharmacies and food stores usually do not attack these bacteria, although some are medicated and there are new products appearing on the market that claim to do just that.

What is needed is a product that will reduce the number of offensive bacteria living at the back of the tongue, not just cover up the odor for a few minutes. Consumers can purchase mouthwashes with antibacterial ingredients, mouthwashes that contain oils that pick up the bacteria and physically carry them off, and products that deliver oxygen to destroy anaerobic odor producing bacteria (bacteria that can’t live in the presence of oxygen). All of these approaches have promise. There are even some product lines that include chewing gum and bad breath mints that are designed to combat the bacteria while they freshen the breath.

It’s about time.

Dealing With Bad Breath

Many people have difficulty dealing with bad breath (halitosis). One reason for this is that they don’t understand what causes bad breath; therefore, they can’t make informed choices about treating it. This article divides the causes of halitosis into three categories and briefly describes solutions for each.

The first category includes temporary causes of halitosis. Dealing with bad breath due to these causes is relatively easy. Temporary causes of halitosis include foods such as onions, garlic, spices, strong cheeses and other strong smelling foods, smoking, coffee, alcohol and medications. The easiest cure is, of course to avoid these things. If you can’t avoid them, brush your teeth frequently, floss, and use a breath freshener as needed. Mouthwashes and sprays, breath mints, gum, and natural preparations are available.

Dealing with bad breath due to the second category is more difficult and may entail significant medical intervention. This is halitosis due to some underlying medical condition. Not really halitosis at all, this includes peculiar odors on the breath due to organ disease (liver or kidney disease), malignancy (cancers of the upper respiratory tissues), diabetes (ketoacidosis), strept throat, or infections of the lungs or sinuses, to name a few. Some of these conditions are life-threatening and should be treated promptly - the halitosis is a secondary problem.

Finally, there is true halitosis, caused by bacteria living on the tongue. These bacteria are part of the normal community of microorganism that live in the mouth and it is virtually impossible to eradicate them, so dealing with bad breath of this type is a difficult and long term problem. Don’t waste time on products that merely freshen the breath – they will not work for more than a few minutes if they work at all. Do some research and select a product that is designed to kill the odor-producing bacteria in your mouth. There are a number of such products available, both over the counter and from natural healers.

If you don’t get good results with the first product you try, try another. These products are based on different approaches to the problem, and everyone is different, so one may work where another fails. Good luck with dealing with bad breath.