Treating Bad Breath or Halitosis With Lifestyle and Diet Changes - Halitosis

Tips to cure your bad breath or halitosis

1. Stop drinking alcohol or cut back on it, as it dries out the mouth. Drink water with your alcohol drinks.

2. Quit smoking or using tobacco products or at least cut down your usage.

3. Drink plenty of water to hydrate your mouth as well as the body.

4. Think about switching to tea from coffee. There are a number of reasons to drink green tea and sweet breath seems to be one of them.

5. Do more exercising and calorie cutting to lose weight instead of using high protein/low carbs diets.

6. Cut back on the sugar as bacteria feeds on it and ti also to lessen chances of tooth decay.

7. Brush your teeth at least twice a day along with flossing.

8. Chew sugarless gum (especially the cinnamon flavor) to stimulate saliva.

9. Clean your tongue and inside of mouth with a soft toothbrush dipped in mouth wash.

10. Eat more fruits and vegetables and less meat.

11. Eat a guava. One that's still green is usually recommended but a ripe one is also beneficial.

12. Brush your teeth and tongue with baking soda.

13. Use a water pick to clean your teeth.

14. Use hydrogen peroxide as a mouth wash. Be careful not to swallow any.

15. Drink fruit or vegetable juices especially tomato and pineapple juices.

16. Chew parsley after meals especially when you go out to eat as some is usually used for garnish

17. Gargle with salt water.

18. If you can't brush your teeth after a meal at least swish some water around in your mouth.

19. Your low carb diet may also be a factor in your bad breath. A slice of bread may help.

20. Chew cloves, cinnamon or similar spices. Boiling them will also make a good mouthwash.

These 20 tips are just the ones that I know about and have used, from people I've talked to and what I've read about. Ask others what they use and you'll undoubtedly come up with a lot more of them.

If you try all the above suggestions and you still have bad breath or halitosis you might want to see your dentist or family doctor to see if something more serious is causing your problem. Before you go to the doctor you might want to get a second opinion because "A large proportion of people who think they're social pariahs with terrible breath don't have bad breath at all," says Wolner.