HOW TO FIX BAD BREATH.

It would seem as though Americans take
unpleasant breath pretty seriously—after
all, we do spend an estimated two billion
dollars a year buying products to mask
that stank.
But the often ignored social
repercussions of halitosis—the fancy
term for bad breath—can be crippling. In
one survey, 34 percent of respondents
said that bad breath made them hesitant
to even speak to other people (another
12.6 percent said they avoided others
altogether). Try dating with that kind of
pressure.
Even if you don’t have severe halitosis
(the kind that you smell on someone
sometimes before you even see them),
what people may not realize is that half
of the adult population suffers from
persistent bad breath.
Why do we get bad breath? And most
importantly, what can we do to rid
ourselves of it? You may be surprised to
find that some of the usual go-to
solutions may actually be making your
breath worse.
What causes bad breath
Germs We may think smelly foods are
often the culprit for bad breath, but in
reality, germs that naturally exist in our
mouth cause 90 to 95 percent of bad
breath. When the germs mix with protein
particles, it’s bad news.
“Germs plus protein equal bad breath,”
says Susanne Cohen, D.D.S. “When those
germs metabolize, they produce a foul
smelling sulfur gas that smells kind of like
rotten eggs.”
And ever wonder why we get morning
breath? One reason is, “When we sleep,
we produce less saliva than when we’re
awake,” explains NYC-based dentist,
Jennifer Jablow. “Saliva acts as a buffer to
neutralize and wash away bacteria. With
less of it, our mouth is dry and the acid
level rises, leaving bacteria to produce
foul smelling gases.”
You can even blame those gases for your
coffee breath, which doesn’t come from
the coffee itself. “If you think about it,
coffee smells delicious,” Dr. Cohen
explains. “Think about those commercials
where people wake up with a smile just
from the smell of coffee brewing! It’s
actually the sulfur gases [in your mouth]
combined with coffee that produces that
disgusting odor.”
Foods That said, certain foods do produce
a bad odor—think garlic and onions and
other pungent foods. In fact, when garlic’s
potent-smelling sulfur compounds are
metabolized, they form something called
methyl sulfide, which can’t be digested.
Instead, it’s passed through the blood
stream to your lungs and skin where it’s
excreted. Yup, your skin will smell like
garlic. No one knows why but for some
people, this smell can last for days.
Dry mouth It may not be the most
opportune time to talk to the cutie at the
gym after your workout. All that huffing
and puffing while you exercise dries out
your mouth and can actually cause foul
breath.
“When your mouth is not moisturized,
you can have bad breath,” says Dr. Jablow.
When you consistently have a dry mouth,
it’s called xerostomia. The side effects of
many drugs such as anti-anxiety drugs,
anti-depressants, and even allergy
medicines like antihistamines can also
produce dry mouth, and hence, bad
breath.
Your health People with certain
conditions like liver or kidney disease and
diabetes tend to have bad breath as well.
The build up of wastes in the blood leads
to a metallic taste in the mouth that
produces the odor. Conditions like acid-
reflux (which may be asymptomatic in
some people) causes food to regurgitate
to the esophagus which mix with bacteria
and other enzymes to cause bad breath.
On that point, Dr. Cohen notes that a
common myth is that the stomach causes
most bad breath. Unless you have a
health condition, there actually isn’t
constant air-flow between your stomach
and mouth.
How to prevent bad breath
Contrary to popular belief, your alcohol-
laden mouthwash may actually be making
your bad breathworse.
“Mouthwashes containing alcohol mask
breath for a very short time but [the
alcohol] dries out your mouth terribly,”
says Dr. Jablow.
What’s more, The Australian Dental
Journal concluded that there is sufficient
evidence that mouthwashes with alcohol
increase your risk of developing oral
cancer, a disease that kills roughly 8,000
Americans every year.
Dr. Cohen adds that those mouthwashes,
which claim to kill almost 100 percent of
germs, don’t tell you that those germs
also rapidly repopulate—within 30 to 60
minutes by most estimates—causing just
as bad “rebound” bad breath. In fact, in
2008, the Better Business Bureau
concluded that no mouthwash is allowed
to claim fresh breath for more than an
hour.
The one exception is an alcohol-free
mouthwash that breaks up the sulfur-
producing process and kills germs to
prevent bad breath for up to 12 hours,
according to their claims.
Chewing fresh herbs such as parsley,
thyme, and rosemary also helps prevent
bad odors after a smelly meal. Besides
having a more favorable scent, the
chlorophyll in the leaves helps neutralize
pungent smells. You can also drink more
water to keep your breath moisturized.
Surprisingly, eating cheeses like
mozzarella can even prevent bad breath
since dairy products help neutralize
acidity.
Another bad-breath killer: “One of my
favorite ingredients to prevent dry mouth
is xylitol,” says Dr. Jablow. “It’s a sugar
substitute found in many gums and dental
products that keeps bacteria at bay and
helps with saliva flow. or gums
And of course, remember basic oral
hygiene: Brushing twice a day, flossing
and visiting your dentist twice a year to
remove plaque build up, all of which
helps to remove bacteria from
accumulating under your gum line, which
causes bad breath.