8 ways to fight bad breath

Why does bacteria build up?

Bad breath is caused by bacteria growing in the mouth and on the tongue, mostly on your tongue! We could brush our teeth 10 times a day and still get the yucky odor. So if brushing our teeth isn't enough, what else can we do to prevent a smelly mouth?

Almost 90 percent of people suffer from bad breath. We usually think bad breath comes from what we eat, like smelly foods including garlic or onion. Eating foods like this do cause us to have bad breath, but only temporarily. The actual underlying cause of reoccurring bad breath is the bacteria build-up that has been growing on the back of your tongue!

How to get rid of bad breath

Most solutions only cover up the smell temporarily and then it only comes back again not long after. These solutions include mouthwash, chewing gum or taking mints, brushing your teeth, or trying to skip the garlic or onion in your meals. These won't target the actual cause, as it is deeper than just the surface. Bacteria on the tongue is a big culprit for producing bad smells in the mouth, but there is also a deeper cause coming from your digestive system and the imbalance of bacteria, or a high acidic diet. Depending on your breath and just how bad it gets, you can try these simple remedies to decrease the smell and get on the way to a better breath!

Water with lemon – drinking water with lemon helps to clear and detox your system.
Tongue Scraper – instead of just brushing your teeth, get a tongue scraper and literally scrape the bacteria off from the back of your tongue. This will make a huge difference in the mouth!
Peppermint essential oil – Adding this to some water to drink, or use it to swish around in your mouth or gargle.
Probiotics – take a good probiotic to balance bacteria in your digestive system.
Bi-Carb soda – You can use this as a toothpaste, or to simply gargle with, as it is high alkaline and oxidizing and helps to brighten your teeth too.
Parsley – eating this after a meal is a great way to neutralize odor, and is high in chlorophyll.
High alkaline diet – eat foods with high alkalinity, fresh fruit and vegetables, especially greens!
Cut back on the sugar – refined sugars are all-round bad, but excess consumption increases your PH acidity in the body.