11 Ways to Make Your Breath Smell Good All the Time
Who doesn’t want to have kissable breath all day long? Having amazing-smelling breath just might be easier than you think.
1. A Balanced Diet with Limited Carbohydrates
Eat a balanced diet that includes proteins and fats, limiting your intake of carbohydrates. When you eat fatty foods, ketones are created. These ketones remain in the stomach and begin to ferment; thus, creating a foul odor that can travel back to the mouth via the esophagus. For this reason, adding healthy carbs to your diet is essential to help balance out the fats within the stomach and promote better smelling breath. Healthy carbs include carrots, broccoli, fresh fruits and sweet potatoes.
2. Eat Crunchy, Healthy Foods
By eating foods with a hard texture, you can remove foods that are caught between your teeth; in addition, you remove the bacteria that thrive on these trapped foods. These bacteria are what causes the teeth to feel fuzzy when you run your tongue along them. Consuming hard textured foods is similar to brushing your teeth: These foods include celery, apples and carrots.
3. Eat Your Greens
Eat green vegetables. These vegetables promote an alkaline environment, which balances out your body by counteracting the acid that causes bad breath.
4. Water Lubricates the Mouth
Water keeps the bacteria in your mouth under control. To keep your body functioning at its best and keep your breath fresher, you should drink 48 ounces of H20 every day. Sodas, bottled beverages (ice teas) and sports drinks are frequently preserved using citric acid: Citric acid contributes to bad breath and wears away tooth enamel. Soda is extremely acidic, so acidic that it can take the paint off a wall; therefore, reduce your intake of these kinds of beverages and drink water instead.
5. Parsley or Mint Leaves
Parsley and mint leaves naturally freshen the breath. Take a couple of these in a sandwich bag so you can chew on them several times throughout the day. The mint leaves freshen the breath while increasing your daily greens intake. The chlorophyll in parsley inhibits the creation of sulphur compounds (hydrogen sulfide) in the mouth, which are responsible for making the breath smell like rotten eggs; furthermore, methyl mercaptan (organosulfur compound) can cause the breath to smell like rotten cabbage.
6. Clean Your Tongue
Bacteria stick to the taste buds and release a byproduct that creates unpleasant odors. By using a toothbrush or a tongue scraper on the tongue, the bacteria are removed and the byproducts are no longer a concern. In addition, removing the bacteria lessens the likelihood of plaque formation.
7. Floss and Brush Daily
Flossing may seem like an unimportant, time-wasting task, taking this extra step is essential in the quest to eradicate bacteria and avoid plaque buildup on the teeth. Flossing can dislodge foods that the toothbrush is unable to reach. Individuals who do not floss regularly most likely have food caught in between their teeth, which feeds the bacteria. The healthier the bacteria in your mouth, the fouler the breath you can expect.
8. Avoid the Use of Tobacco – Make Cigarettes a Thing of the Past
Smoking dries out body tissues, including the mouth. The nicotine in cigarettes squeezes the blood vessels; thus, interrupting the natural flow of saliva. The combination of these two issues disrupts the mouth’s ability to function normally, which leads to foul smelling breath. If you smoke, stop and if you do not smoke, never start.
9. Use an Alcohol-Free Mouthwash with Zinc Compound Listed in the Ingredients
Keeping the mouth moist helps wash away cavity-causing bacteria and odors. Alcohol based mouthwashes dry the mouth out, which eventually leads to bad breath. You can create your own non-alcohol mouthwash by combining one tablespoon of baking soda with one cup of warm water. Add a few drops of essential peppermint oil. Baking soda is a natural antibacterial product and can replace mouthwash to freshen your breath.
10. Chew Sugarless Gum Containing Xylitol
Chewing gum assists in removing bacteria in the mouth by increasing the production of saliva; however, choosing a sugar free variety is vital because otherwise the sugar in the gum will feed the bacteria that is already in the mouth, which leads to bad breath. The sweetener Xylitol is antibacterial; therefore, it helps to fight cavities and bacteria in addition to improving your oral health.
11. Keep Your Teeth Cleaning Appointments
Another way to combat bad breath is to visit your dentist on a regular basis and have your teeth cleaned biannually.
If you are experiencing bad breath that will not go away, you may be dealing with something a bit more serious and you should visit a dentist. At Espinal & Willis – Carolinas Center for Advanced Dentistry, we can get to the root of the problem so it can be addressed. To learn more and schedule an appointment, contact our office today.
Contact Espinal & Willis – Carolinas Center for Advanced Dentistry today to schedule your dental cleaning and checkup. We look forward to serving you. Call us at 803.327.4166 today!
