The Magic of a Bad Breath Home Remedy

Many people scour the internet daily, desperate to find a bad breath home remedy that works. Many of them wind up disappointed and frustrated, because while there is a plethora of information out there about bad breath problems and how to cure them, quality information about a home remedy is hit or miss. Bad breath is not a serious health condition, but it is bad enough to warrant quality information about how to treat it from the comfort of your own home. In this article, I will tell you about a home remedy or two that will help with your oral health problems and leave your breath smelling fresh.

Why Does My Breath Smell?

Good question. The answer to your query varies depending on who you are, your diet, your health, etc. There are several causes of bad breath, ranging from the harmless to the serious, from the ones related to hygiene to the ones related to real medical conditions. If I were to summarize the main cause of bad breath in one term, though, it would be this: Bacteria. Yes, bacteria. I know that in this day and age we blame just about everything on bacteria (which is why we all carry around hand sanitizers and wash our hands repeatedly). But for bad breath, bacteria are either a direct cause or an indirect cause of a condition or illness that in turn causes your halitosis. This applies whether or not your bad breath is periodic and normal (like morning breath) or persistent and ever-present.

How Do Bacteria Operate in My Mouth?

The bacteria in your mouth (and in my mouth and everyone’s mouth) are anaerobic creatures – meaning they thrive in environments that have little to no oxygen. A dry mouth is a perfect environment for bacteria to flourish, and when they flourish, they produce noxious volatile sulfur compounds. Ironically, this often means that a commercial bad breath mouthwash will make the problem worse as a lot of them contain ingredients (for example alcohol) that cause dry mouth. Anyway, these VSCs are extremely odorous and cause your breath to smell. With that in mind, I will give you two home remedies that will help you immensely with your problem.

Home Remedy #1: Baking Soda

Baking soda, bicarbonate of soda, or just bicarb – whatever you call it, baking soda works. People have used this ingredient for centuries to clean and deodorize anything from clothing to refrigerators. You can use it for your mouth as well, believe it or not. Take a pinch of baking soda. Mix it with some water to create a paste. Add in some lemon juice (or citrus juice of your choice). Apply to your toothbrush and go to work. Presto – a homemade toothpaste that will freshen your teeth. (Don’t forget to brush the tongue, too.)

Home Remedy #2: Tea

A lot of people love tea and enjoy it daily, but believe it or not, it is actually good for you (in moderation).  For starters, both black tea and green tea contains polyphenols, which are antioxidants that can protect against bacteria. Also, green tea is antibacterial – which means bacteria hate it. The ingredients in green tea have actually been proven to ward off bacteria. You do not have to drink it, either, if you just cannot stand the beverage. Applying green tea to your toothpaste (or even the baking soda paste described above) forms an effective and powerful combination for hygiene.

There you have it. They do not constitute a bad breath cure, but if you were looking for a good bad breath home remedy, you just received two. They even work great together. In conclusion, a bad breath home remedy could be lurking in your kitchen cabinet – just use it and let it work for you!