How to cure bad breath at home

Bad breath gives a lot of problems to both its owner and surrounding people. A person who smells badly from his mouth is afraid not only to talk with strangers, but even to be near them. This dramatically reduces the quality of his life, interferes with business and personal relationships. What can be the cause of an unpleasant smell and how to deal with it?

Is there a smell

This is a sensitive topic, it is embarrassing for people around to say that it smells unpleasant to you. A person himself sometimes gets so used to his own aromas that he simply does not feel them. How to understand whether it smells from you?

1. Fold your hands in the form of a mask with your palms facing you, exhale in them with your mouth and inhale deeply with your nose. If there is a smell, you will feel it.
2. Take dental floss and clean a couple of dental gaps. With this cleaning, all the aromas “come out”.
3. Attach a moist cotton pad to the tongue and cheeks, it will be saturated with the smell that is currently in the oral cavity.
4. Follow the reaction of the interlocutor, if he involuntarily turns away from you during a conversation, then your oral cavity emits a foul odor.
5. Ask your loved ones directly if you have a bad breath, they will definitely not hide the truth.

In the event that you smell from the mouth, it may turn out that others do not feel it. Why? All people have different attitudes towards their appearance, someone underestimates neatness, someone else is too keen on her. There are three types of bad breath:

1. Halitosis is a true bad smell. The interlocutors feel it, even if the person himself does not feel it. This is the case when the mouth really smells.
2. Pseudogalitosis or false smell. There is an unpleasant aroma, but it is weak and only the source senses it; other people do not feel it. In this case, the person simply exaggerates the problem.
3. Halitophobia or fear of bad breath. It just seems to a person that he smells terrible from his mouth, but in fact there is no smell. It happens to those who are too preoccupied with the appearance and opinion of others about themselves.

The first type is really a pathology, the causes of which must be clarified and with which it is necessary to fight. The third type may be evidence of a neurosis or a disease of obsessive states, such tasks are solved exclusively by psychiatrists. The second - you can completely ignore it if it is easier to relate to the current situation.

Causes of Halitosis

Contrary to popular belief, bad breath does not always indicate dental pathology. However, now there is another erroneous idea that halitosis always appears due to gastrointestinal diseases. So what causes the smell?

1. Diseases of the dentition. Dental diseases such as caries, gingivitis, stomatitis, periodontitis, periodontitis are the foci of a chronic infection in the oral cavity. They support inflammation, which leads to the formation of foul-smelling exudate.
2. Sore throats. This is an inflammation of the lymphadenoid tissue of the tonsils. Palatine tonsils suffer more often than others. Acute tonsillitis is easy to recognize due to pain when swallowing, but the smell can also occur due to a chronic process. During such inflammation there is no pain, but purulent foci remain in the tonsils, emitting an unpleasant odor.
3. Non-observance of personal hygiene. Teeth should be brushed twice a day: in the morning and in the evening. After each meal, mouthwashes should be used. Dentists also recommend having a professional brushing in the clinic every six months.It is difficult to follow all these rules, but you can stop at least with a tooth brush.
4. Bad habits. Smoking not only leads to yellowing of tooth enamel, but also causes bad breath. This happens because, firstly, the smell of tobacco in the oral cavity is not transformed for the better, and secondly, smoking spoils the teeth and causes inflammation in the oral cavity.
5. Eating a number of foods. Bad breath may appear if you eat fresh onions or garlic. This is a well-known fact, but many do not suspect that this smell is persistent and can remain for several days. Flavored chewing gums, rinsing the mouth and even brushing your teeth are not able to cope with this specific aroma.
6. Endocrine diseases. Changes in hormonal balance affect the composition of saliva. Saliva should not only moisten the oral mucosa and food lump, but also maintain a constant acid-base and electrolyte balance. If it becomes viscous or its composition changes, bacteria that cause an unpleasant odor begin to multiply in the oral cavity. In addition, saliva itself can acquire a fetid aroma.
7. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Diseases such as gastritis, ulcers of the stomach and duodenum, gastroesophageal reflux, duodenogastric reflux, decreased gastrointestinal motility, intestinal infections can be the cause of bad breath. However, they are usually accompanied by other symptoms. Abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, vomiting, intolerance to a number of products, heartburn, belching acidic or rotten - all these are manifestations of various diseases of the digestive system and an occasion to visit a gastroenterologist.
8. Diseases of the liver, gall bladder and biliary tract. Symptoms of these diseases can be pain in the right hypochondrium, a feeling of bitterness in the mouth, problems with stools, yellowness of the skin and bad breath. If they appear, you must consult a doctor.
9. Orthodontic and dental prostheses. Crowns, plates and braces are difficult to clean with high quality, since they have a rather complicated design. However, pieces of food are often clogged in them, which contributes to the growth of bacteria and the appearance of a smell. The problem will be solved by observing the rules for wearing these structures and their professional cleaning at the dentist.
10. Diseases of the nose and paranasal sinuses. Sometimes bad breath is not at all related to food intake, teeth or internal organs. A person suffering from chronic purulent sinusitis, frontitis, sphenoiditis, ethmoiditis or rhinitis can also develop a fetid odor. It occurs due to the fact that the purulent contents of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses, flowing down the throat, enter the oral cavity. It is necessary to treat these pathological conditions at the ENT specialist.

Halitosis Control Methods

Where to start the fight against bad breath? First of all, you should determine whether the problem is really as big as you think. If the smell really exists and is heard by others, find the reason for its appearance. To do this, carefully analyze your diet, habits and subjective feelings. For example, the prevention of colds through the use of garlic is a sure cause of an unpleasant odor. Pain in the abdomen and bitterness in the mouth are symptoms of damage to internal organs.

If nothing comes to mind that clearly indicates the cause, contact your dentist. If the smell is associated with the oral cavity, the doctor will find its source and tell you what to do next. The general rules for getting rid of bad smell can be formulated as follows:

1. Sanitation of the oral cavity. This means getting rid of all sources of chronic inflammation. Remediation is carried out by a dentist who treats carious teeth, removes those that cannot be saved and opens gingival pockets.You should undergo preventive examinations at the dentist at least twice a year to prevent caries.
2. Normalization of nutrition. Unpleasant odor is caused by particles of carbohydrates that remain in the oral cavity. They create a favorable environment for the reproduction of bacteria. To avoid this, it is worth consuming less light carbohydrates such as chocolate, cookies and other sweet foods.
3. Refusal of foul-smelling foods. This is, first of all, garlic and onions. It is worth remembering that bad foods can cause protein products: meat, chicken eggs and fish.
4. The treatment of chronic diseases. If the smell is caused by pathological processes occurring in the internal organs, the only way to get rid of it is to stop these processes. Treatment should be carried out by specialists in this field, for example, a gastroenterologist, general practitioner, otorhinolaryngologist.
5. Compliance with personal hygiene. This is the most important way to get rid of the smell. It is important to learn the rules for oral care.

If you need to get rid of a bad smell urgently, there are several proven express methods. First of all, this is chewing gum. It is worth choosing those that do not contain sugar and preferably with a mint flavor. Often they can not be used, since chewing gums harm tooth enamel. However, in emergency cases, this method can save the situation. Parsley will also help to quickly remove an unpleasant odor. You need to take one twig of this plant (leaves along with the stem) and chew it well. In addition, you can rinse your mouth with a glass of warm milk or chew coffee beans.

Oral care

To get rid of the smell and prevent its appearance, it is necessary to follow the rules of oral hygiene. There are several important nuances:

1. Teeth should be cleaned in a certain order: first the upper, then the lower, first the front surface, then the back, and only after - chewing.
2. It is better to choose a toothpaste with a high content of calcium or antibacterial.
3. After each brushing, the brush head should be soaped and left in a glass so that microbes do not multiply on its surface.
4. Dental brushing should last at least 3 minutes and should be done at least twice a day.
5. To cleanse the tongue, you can use the back surface of the toothbrush or a special scraper.
6. After each meal and even after each snack, the mouth should be rinsed with a special elixir. It is better to choose one that does not contain alcohol, but has antibacterial properties.
7. Every day, use a thread to clean hard-to-reach interdental spaces.
8. Once every six months, undergo professional brushing or get a home irrigator to conduct it yourself.

Bad breath is a real problem for those who want to be a full member of society. You can get rid of it if you monitor your health, choose the right diet and follow the rules of oral care.

Video: how to get rid of bad breath