The Bad Breath Blog

Dry mouth is frustrating, uncomfortable and annoying – but unfortunately, we all suffer from it once in a while. Do you feel like you’re constantly drinking water but still have a dry, sticky feeling in your mouth? Saliva is a crucial liquid, because it helps keep everything moist, washes bacteria away and allows you to enjoy every little bite of food. Luckily, there are some dry mouth cures that you can do in the comfort of your own home that will increase saliva flow and allow you to overcome oral health issues that are dragging you down. 

Your everyday diet
Dry mouth is caused by a number of things, but the first option to try and get rid of it is to cut items out of your diet that may be making the issue worse. For instance, your morning cup of coffee isn’t the culprit to your dry mouth, but it likely isn’t making the situation better. If you drink a cup every morning, it probably isn’t related to your dry mouth, but if you find yourself consuming upwards of three cups every day, it could be helpful to cut down your intake. Although many people do contribute coffee to dry mouth, it may actually be because you’re drinking coffee instead of water. If you can’t live without your caffeine – and we can’t blame you – try to balance it out by drinking a glass of water for every cup. Similarly, a caffeine overdose may lead to dehydration and therefore dry mouth. 

Make sure to always have water on hand with you, and frequently take sips. If you’re a big soda drinker, this can be causing your dry mouth as well. Consider cutting down on soda intake and increasing water to cure dry mouth. Also, changing your diet to include a larger amount of fruits and vegetables can help, since they have a high water content. 

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 You may find yourself reaching for a stick of gum when you feel like your breath is stinking up the room. It could also be a way to shy away from smoking cigarettes, or just a habit. Whatever your reason for chewing gum may be, if you’re not smart about your gum choices, you may actually be causing more damage than you think. Companies that produce gum are pulling out all the stops with flavors like key lime pie and cookies and cream, but just imagine the amount of sugar that your teeth are getting beat with when you opt for these flavors. Here are a few tips and tricks to finding the best gum for bad breath and your overall oral health – you’ll thank us later.

Ditch the sugar
Sugary gum can taste yummy, but it can to damage to your breath and feed the bacteria that live in your mouth. Your bad breath is caused by bacteria that sit on your tongue and in your mouth and release odorous compounds, and they feed on the food you consume. If you’re eating a well-balanced diet of fruits and veggies, you’re more likely to have fresh breath and a clean mouth. The best gum for bad breath helps to fight these bacteria while defeating dry mouth, which is another big culprit of stinky breath. Chewing gum with sugar in it can also cause cavities and tooth decay.

Most dentists recommend chewing gum that is sweetened with Xylitol, a natural sweetener that is found in birch trees, corn cobs and other botanicals. This type of gum stimulates saliva flow and prevents bacteria from producing acid that causes bad breath and damages the teeth. This ingredient has also proven to be a natural fighter against cavities. According to a study conducted in Finland, children who chewed gum with this ingredient saw a decline in tooth decay. To get the best benefits of Xylitol, you should chew a piece of gum three to five times a day for at least five minutes.

Got a headache?
“You use eight different facial muscles to chew,” Dr. Ben Kim told She Knows. “Unnecessary chewing can create chronic tightness in two of these muscles, located close to your temples. This can put pressure on the nerves that supply this area of your head, which can lead to chronic, intermittent headaches.”

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Hey there,

All you need is love? While love is strong and amazing, even it can’t always stand up to bad breath. There’s nothing worse than going in for a kiss to get blasted with halitosis, especially today! Happy Valentine’s Day!

Fresh breath is definitely something you always need, and TheraBreath can help you with that. Let us give you your first kiss on Valentine’s Day (no, we’re not trying to be creepy). Right now, you will get a FREE PACK of our FRENCH KISS GUM with any purchase AND when you spend $25, we’ll give you FREE SHIPPING when you use your exclusive VIP code CLUV13.*

We all want love this Valentine’s Day, so don’t let bad breath get in your way. TheraBreath makes a great gift too because everyone wants to be ready for romance at any time and for that (and love) you need fresh breath. So what are you waiting for? Start shopping now because love is what you get when you’re smoochable.

XOXO,

Your friends at TheraBreath

* Limit one pack of French Kiss gum per order. Order value must be more than $1.00 to receive free item. Free Shipping offer valid on orders shipped to the US and Canada only. Promotion valid from 12:00am PST February 11, 2013, to 11:59pm PST February 18, 2013.

Anyone that has ever chopped up or bitten into a raw onion knows exactly how powerful they can be. A robbery crew in Queens, New York has used the strong odor and eye-watering power of onions for evil rather than good. According to NYDailyNews.com, Erick Mejia (a member of a robbery crew based in Queens) has been arrested and charged with an unusual form of torture.

Erick Mejia is suspected to be involved with several robberies of drug trafficking all along the East Coast. He and his crew often posed as police officers and on a few occasions put victim’s heads into bags full of onions! Many of these attacks were violent, but the NY Daily News cites a particularly bizarre event that took place in February, 2008. The heist that took place in Raleigh, North Carolina, involved members of the robbery crew posing as law enforcement agents and stopping a drug supplier. The crew had fake badges and a car that looked like a police vehicle, equipped with police-style headlights.

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Are you planning a romantic Valentine’s Day with your sweetie? A scrumptious dinner perhaps? There are a few foods that are well known to increase the libido, but may also serve up a side of bad breath. This doesn’t mean that you need to skip the aphrodisiacs for a plainer meal, just be aware of their possible links to unromantic breath and do you best to prevent it.

Oysters – a food at the top of the aphrodisiac list, oysters (and most shellfish) are known to have an unpleasant odor with it. While they taste divine, the smell may take remain in your mouth if you don’t take care to freshen your breath after your meal. The food particles may linger, resulting in halitosis.

Garlic and Figs – these foods that are known to increase sex drive have been linked to bad breath, as we have discussed in previous posts. Although they are very delicious touches to a dish, figs and garlic both have high levels of sulfur compounds, which commonly cause bad smelling breath. Bad breath itself is caused by volatile sulfur-producing compounds that thrive in an anaerobic environment – a dry mouth. Eating figs and garlic are really just adding more fuel to the fire of foul breath. A quick solution would be to chew a piece of TheraBreath Chewing Gum post-meal. It’s amazing how fast the garlicky smell is neutralized, as if you never enjoyed the garlic in the first place!

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