Tips for Maintaining a Fresh Breath

Most people are prone to bad breath at some point or another in their life as there is a bacteria thriving in the mouth that is one of the main causes of bad breath. The root causes of bad breath need to be identified because in some situations your bad breath problem could actually be a medical problem. In medical cases, you need to cure or bring the underlying medical condition or disorder under control first, before undertaking bad breath treatment that will simply not work as it is not curing the root cause.
Other common factors in people experiencing odorous breath problems, are decaying teeth, gum disease, sinus and throat infections. You can even find that poor digestion or problems with the digestive tract are to blame for causing those unpleasant smells. The medical list is endless and includes conditions like liver disorder.
It has to be said that many of the causes of bad breath can be sorted with a little bit of common sense. Let us discuss a few ways in which to fight bad breath.

• Remove food particles from your mouth by brushing your teeth and rinsing your mouth thoroughly after every meal. If you are nowhere near your toothbrush, or have no mouthwash handy, use water. It is not as effective, but will certainly help.
• It is important to brush your tongue as well. There are thousands of little hairs on the surface of your tongue that can trap bacteria and cause your breath to be unpleasant.
• Regular visits to the dentist cannot be stressed enough and this is where most people go wrong, leaving a visit to the dentist for emergencies only. During your regular check-up, your dentist will rule out gum disease and can help to rectify any faulty restorations, overhanging fillings or leaking crowns. These are the places where food can get trapped in the mouth.
• To increase the flow of saliva, which contains an defense against the bad breath bacteria in your mouth, chew on sugarless gum or suck on sugarless lozenges.
• When you snack on vegetables like celery or carrots in their natural raw state, they will assist  by preventing plaque from forming on the surface of your teeth.
• Drink plenty of water. This will keep your mouth moist and prevent dry mouth. You can also swish the water around your mouth to help loosen the bits of food that the bacteria can feed on.
• The antibacterial properties in peppermint or tea tree oil, will kill the bacteria found in the mouth. Place a few drops on the tongue or on your toothbrush to freshen your breath.
• Avoid alcohol that are contained in some breath mints and mouth washes. Their main function  are to cover the smell and they can also create a dry mouth. This dry mouth is a more favorable environment where bacteria thrives.
• This one is so obvious, but it is amazing how many people ignore it. Do not eat onions or garlic before going to an important meeting or date. Very few things can mask this smell and usually the garlic user is blissfully unaware of how they smell to the people around them.
• The consumption of caffeine can cause dry mouth that helps the bad bacteria to thrive.
• Smoking causes nicotine and tar to build up on the surface of the tongue, cheeks and teeth. It causes a dry mouth and inhibits the saliva flow.
• Leafy green vegetables such as parsley, contains chlorophyll, which acts as a natural breath freshener.

These tips and bad breath treatments should help you to maintain a fresh breath as long as there are no underlying medical conditions that needs the care of a medical professional.