Home Remedies for Fresh Breath

Bad breath can be an embarrassment in social situations. Luckily, bad breath is common and very treatable. Bad breath is caused by bacteria in your mouth breaking down proteins. Foods like garlic and cheese cause especially bad breath, as do tobacco products. Sometimes bad breath is a symptom of a more serious problem like gum disease, but most of the time bad breath can be treated with simple home remedies.

Practice Correct Oral Hygiene

• Regimented oral hygiene is your first defense against bad breath.

  The simplest way to prevent and treat bad breath is to properly clean your teeth, tongue and gums. Brush your teeth after every meal or at least twice per day. Floss between your teeth with dental floss and use antibacterial mouthwash every day. Tongue scraping aimed at cleaning the back of the tongue is very effective. Scrape your tongue gently with a toothbrush or buy a tongue scraper in the dental hygiene aisle of your local pharmacy retailer. Toothpaste with baking soda, zinc, chlorine dioxide or antibacterial agents is especially effective at killing bacteria when used to brush your teeth and scrape your tongue.

Keep your Mouth Moist

• Drink and rinse with water throughout the day to battle bad breath.

  Saliva dilutes the effect of bacteria in your mouth, so keeping your mouth moist will help keep bad breath at bay. If you are dehydrated, your mouth will produce less saliva, resulting in a greater chance of bad breath. Drink at least six to eight glasses of water per day. Rinse your mouth with water after eating or whenever it feels dry. Rinsing will help dilute the bacteria and remove food proteins in your mouth.

Chew On Something

• Chewing fennel seeds can help improve bad breath.

  Chewing causes your mouth to produce saliva by tricking it into thinking you are eating a meal. Chew on natural breath fresheners like fennel seeds, mint, parsley, cloves or cardamom seeds. If you prefer to use gum, breath mints or lozenges, be sure they are sugar-free. Sugar promotes the growth of bacteria.