Natural cure bad breath

Bad breath is a problem that affects most people at least once in their life. Some seem to have more trouble with it and no matter how expensive their mouthwash is, the problem is still there. Bad breath is a nightmare for people who go on dates. There are only few worse turnoffs than smelling someone’s foul breath.

For fighting this unpleasant problem it is important to understand its cause. Apart from less common cases when a medical problem, like a disease, or certain medications, is the factor that is causing bad breath, in most cases it is caused by the bacteria that live in the mouth.

Bacteria that are present in the mouth produce hydrogen sulfide, a substance which smells like rotten eggs. These bacteria are particularly at home in human mouth because they always search for a warm and damp environment. They, however, usually do not cause more significant health problems like infections, and their effect, if the overall health is good, is limited to producing unpleasant smell.

There are two simple ways to fight the bacteria in the mouth and consequently eliminate the problem with bad breath.

Yogurt

One Japanese study focused particularly on fighting the bacteria in the mouth that cause bad breath. In this study, the volunteers were asked to slightly modify their diet and to eat three ounces of plain, non-sweetened yogurt two times a day for six weeks. The results were extraordinary, as 80% of the participants reduced the quantity of hydrogen sulfide in their mouth, and thus the bad breath.

The idea behind this method is simple. The bacteria present in plain yogurt are considered to be beneficial for human health. Those are, above all, Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus termophilus. These bacteria fight the ones which produce hydrogen sulfide in the mouth and they overcome.

The important thing is that the yogurt must be plain, with no additives, flavorings or sugars, and that the label must say “live culture” or otherwise indicate the presence of “good” bacteria.

Tongue cleaning

The second efficient method against bad breath, which works particularly well if combined with the use of yogurt, is cleaning the tongue. This method is effective because it reduces the bacteria that stick to the tongue and produce bad smell. Cleaning can be done either with a toothbrush or with a tongue scrapper. Tongue scrapper might work better because it is thin and reaches far back into the mouth. It can be bought at drug stores and it is recommended to use it daily, after brushing.