The Bad Breath Blog

Sometimes brushing your teeth after eating onions or garlic won’t stop you from having bad breath. Garlic can stay in your lungs for 1-2 days after you consume it! Therefore, making your breath fresh after eating onions and garlic is more complex than brushing your teeth and gargling. Here are some pointers:

1. Try drinking some green or mint tea after consuming garlic/onions.
2. Eat a lemon/drink lemonade.
3. Chew on parsley, mint leaves, or other strong-tasting fresh herbs
4. Try eating mixed veggies crushed into a mashed potato like mushrooms, carrots, and other types.
5. Chew mint/spearmint flavored gum
6. Drink a small amount of alcohol because it can kill the bacteria that feeds on leftover food in the oral cavity. 
7. Eat a hard cheese like cheddar or swiss (not American) to cover up the smell
8. You can try to use a smaller amount of onion or garlic while cooking
9. Use a spoon to clean off your tongue if you don’t have access to a tongue scraper
10. Don’t forget to brush your teeth and rinse out your mouth, of course.

Most of us know now that bad breath (halitosis) can be caused by: cavities; dentures; smoking; alcohol; lung, tonsils, adenoid, sinus or throat infections; certain foods (garlic, onions, high sugar products, spicy foods, dairy products); poor oral hygiene; and so on.  We’ve also discussed many different possible cures.  Here are some natural remedies you may not have suspected:

• Bee Propolis (a resinous mixture that is collected by bees from tree buds and other sources) helps gum infections, as well as other infections.  Obviously, if one is allergic to bees, he or she should not try this method of diffusing bad breath.  Propolis has been used as an antimicrobial, emollient, immunomodulator, dental anti-plaque agent,anti-tumor growth agent, and even in food and musical instruments.
• Drink water to moisten the mouth, which increases the strength of saliva in the mouth, that cleanses the bad breath bacteria
• Use a tongue scraper to help remove bacteria
• Use an odorless form of garlic, which is a natural antiobiotic
• Zinc also has an antibacterial effect
• Add half a lemon to a glass a water, and gargle with it
• When brushing the gums and tongue, use powdered cloves, an herbal remedy for bad breath.  One can keep cloves under the molars without chewing to help maintain fresh breath.
• Avoid foods like blue cheese, salami, curry, tuna, garlic, onions, anchovies, red meat, milk, coffee, cola, etc.
• Parsley is a natural deodorizer
• Cardamom is a breath sweetener
• Cranberries help fight off the bad breath-causing bacteria
• Eating a green/raw Guava will help stop bad breath
• Fruits that are high in Vitamin C, like citrus and oranges, will help control the bad bacteria
• Eucalyptus Oil is found in many toothpastes and other oral products because it has an active antiseptic ingredient, Eucalyptol
• Sometimes chewing on sugarless gum or eating sugarless candies will help keep the mouth moist and not contribute to the growth of bad oral bacteria
• Edible camphor helps against bad breath caused by tonsilitis, sinusitis, and head colds, since it is a very effective throat stimulant.  It helps get rid of clogged mucus, making it a natural and effective nasal decongestant.

The magnolia is one of the oldest flowering tree types in the world.  Magnolia bark contains polyphenols, which have been used for centuries by Chinese and Japanese medicine.  Now, the magnolia bark chemicals have been proven to get rid of bad breath.  Research printed in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry shows that breath mints containing magnolia bark extract kill the majority of bacteria that cause tooth decay and bad breath within a half hour.  Magnolia bark extract significantly improves oral health around the world, and may be beneficial if used in chewing gum.

The mouth is an ideal environment for the bacteria that causes bad breath–especially four species of bacteria: Veilonella alcalescens, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Bacteroides melaninogenicus and Klebsiella pneumoniae.  These bacteria feed on food remains, dead cells, and other chemicals in the mouth, and in the process of their feeding, they release foul-smelling gases.  This putrefaction can lead to gum disease and tooth decay.

Regular chewing gum tends to only guard against these bacteria for a short period of time, and anti-bacterial products tend to have negative effects like tooth staining.  A team conducted a research project where they tested the power of a mint with and without the magnolia bark extract.  Without the extract, the mint destroyed just 3.6%  of the bacteria, and with the extract, 61% of the bacteria was killed. 

Furthermore, the extract has also been found to be useful for guarding against cavity-causing bacteria. 

Source: Softpedia

Whenever I have post nasal drip, my breath gets worse. Does this mean bad breath comes from the sinuses?

No. That’s because the anaerobic sulfur-producing bacteria that create bad breath live and breed within the back of the tongue and in the throat. They have the ability to digest mucus (because of high protein content) & then break it down into sulfide molecules, which cause the bad breath & bitter, sour taste. The correct way to fight bad breath due to post nasal drip is to use a combination of nasal/sinus drops and oxygenation tablets, creating an oxygenating solution to cleanse the throat and tonsil area.

Can I still use my regular toothpaste and mouthwash if I use TheraBreath? 

No. Almost all commercial toothpaste’s contain sodium lauryl sulfate (SOAP), placed in toothpaste in order to create a foaming action, so that you think that something is actually happening. It has no beneficial effects at all. Unfortunately it will also inhibit the potency of the active ingredients. That is why those who use Oxyfresh toothpaste should read the ingredients in their toothpaste: It contains sodium lauryl sulfate! This will negate the benefits of the oxidation process.

Once in a while I get these small white round dots that appear on my tonsils, and sometimes I even cough them up. They have an extremely strong odor. What are they and is this related to my breath and taste disorder?  

Those little round globules are known as tonsilloliths and they are most definitely related to halitosis and sour taste. They are created by sulfur gases produced by these bacteria (which are located across from the tonsils in the throat area). The sulfur gas mixes with the mucus and thick saliva in the back of your throat and after a period of time, condense into these concentrated, odorous globs. They are only present when one has tonsils, but not in all cases.

I have had many patients who have actually had their tonsils removed due to misinformation from physicians about this problem. Of course, these patients still had bad breath after having the tonsillectomy, because bad breath does not start in the tonsils, only on the back of the tongue! However, it can branch off into the tonsils.

Important: To reduce halitosis (if you have tonsilloliths) here’s what my patients tell me they have done to solve this problem:

Swallow 1-2 capfuls of the solution created with the AktivOxigen tablets, before bedtime.  Generally, you will feel that the odor and lousy taste are neutralized as the rinse solution passes the tonsil area.

I scrape my tongue all day, but yet I still have bad breath. My dentist gave me this huge tongue scraper and told me to use it daily because it might scrape off the bacteria. I gag just by looking at it. Is there any truth to this or is it just one of those fads? 

Now, that’s a good question! In my opinion, and based on helping tens of thousands of people who have suffered with bad breath, tongue scraping by itself is NOT the answer. In fact, I have seen dozens of cases in my clinics where people have just scraped too hard and for too long, resulting in damage..painful tongue, dry tongue, and burning tongue!

We prefer to use the tongue cleaner as an application device with a very gentle cleansing motion on the tongue from the back to the front. This helps to apply the TheraBreath gel below the tongue’s surface to where the bacteria actually live. The bacteria cannot live ON the tongue surface because they are anaerobes, meaning they can’t survive on the surface.

I don’t have bad breath or any taste problems, but I want to use the best toothpaste and mouthwash you have. Which products should I use? 

I would recommend the PerioTherapy of Oral Rinse and Toothpaste. It’s similar to the TheraBreath PLUS line, but focuses more on gum health, which is still the number one oral disease in the world – more of a problem than cavities by far! And because chronic gum disease can lead to other health problems, such as heart attacks, strokes, pneumonia, and birth problems for pregnant women, we highly recommend PerioTherapy products.

My boyfriend sometimes has bad breath. Is it possible for him to give it to me when we French kiss? 

Simply put: you can’t give bad breath to someone else. The bacteria that create this problem are actually good bacteria and are part of the normal oral flora (the mix of bacteria that you need to function properly). It’s possible that the bacteria in your boyfriend’s mouth (tongue, throat, tonsils) are reacting to his dry mouth, which could have been created by smoking, medication, or alcohol.

I can smell the bad breath coming from my nose when I exhale. What can I do about this? Am I imaging things? 

You are not imagining anything. There are odors that can be detected in some cases as they emanate from the nostrils. This type of odor is due to mucus in the nasal passage and its reaction to bacteria in the nostrils (not in the sinus). It may also be a by-product of the reaction between mucous, post nasal drip, or allergies in the area beyond the sinus (in the naso-pharyngeal area and the throat/tonsil area). The solution is quite simple – TheraBreath Nasal Sinus Drops are the only oxygenating/zinc formula to attack this type of problem.

Is there any way I can whiten my teeth and get rid of bad breath at the same time? I don’t have the time to use dozens of different products several times a day. 

Actually, our TheraBrite toothpaste is BOTH a whitening toothpaste AND a breath toothpaste. Just use it in conjunction with any of our oxygenating rinses – TheraBreath, AktivOxigen, TheraBreath PLUS, and PerioTherapy – All of our products are designed to work together.

The Day of Hearts is coming again – a time when we celebrate romantic love, cherish it with our special someone, or celebrate the beginnings of a romantic relationship. It is different things for different people. Some of us will have a valentine, some of us won’t.Chances are though, on Valentines Day, we will get close to someone.We will meet new people. Because of this, having fresh breath at all times is very important, because you never know when it’s time to get close. How can you have on-the-date freshness if you don’t have time to brush?

Be armed and safe with Therabreath Gum and Zox Mints. “French Kiss”, the gum used by Hollywood Celebrities is also available.

Why won’t regular gum do? Why does it have to be Therabreath? Because most gum out there in the market are sugar-based, and sugar actually feeds the anaerobic bacteria already in mouth. The worse thing that you can do is pop an Altoid in your mouth after you eat – unless you’re egalitarian and you feel that the bacteria should eat too.

Now. . . Exactly what do I put in my gum that makes it so great at keeping your breath fresh? Simple. . .

First, I’ve included Zinc Gluconate. Zinc is a known inhibitor of acid production by mutans streptococci (the bacteria in your mouth that cause bad breath). These bacteria thrive in an acidic environment, so when you neutralize acids you kill bacteria (and you help prevent that annoying tinny, metallic taste). In addition, a high level of oral acids is bad for your tooth enamel, so you’re helping to keep a brighter, whiter smile as well. Zinc ions also perform an interesting function when they meet anaerobic bacteria – they “clog” up certain receptors on the outer cell wall of anaerobic bacteria, so that that “bugs” cannot create sulfur compounds. (Zinc gluconate is the best tasting of all the zinc compounds which can be used in oral products.) Lastly, Zinc Gluconate (and only Zinc Gluconate) has been proven to restore sour/bitter/metallic tastes. Studies have shown that people with long term taste disorders can experience a rejuvenation of their taste buds after long-term use of Zinc gluconate gum or lozenges. . . (which is what we use in ZOX and all of our chewing gum formulas – as well as ALL Plus formulas.)

Second, I’ve used Xylitol as a sweetener, instead of sugar or Aspartame (Nutrasweet) like so many other chewing gums. Xylitol is an all-natural sweetener made from the bark of hardwood trees. It is also naturally produced in small quantities in our own bodies.

It is a sugar alcohol, with makes it safe for diabetics because the body doesn’t react to sugar alcohols the same way that it does to sucrose or glucose (found in most of the popular kiddy-flavored gums, such as Big Red, Juicy Fruit, etc.)

Most importantly, it has an interesting property in that it has been proven to fight tooth decay and is the only “sweetener” that does so – the complete opposite of sugar – which oral bacteria use to generate acids, which lead to tooth decay.

Simply put, a good amount of xylitol provides a healthy environment for an oral ecosystem.

Finally, I’ve included Oxygenating Compounds, specially designed to work with chewing gum base, to gently bathe your mouth and throat with oxygenating molecules designed to neutralize any and all volatile sulfur compounds, located in your mouth, throat, tonsils, and even in the upper reaches of your esophagus. Every time you swallow, your saliva – now loaded with oxygen and zinc molecules – bathes the back of your tongue, throat, tonsils area, and even the very beginning of your esophagus, a formerly ignored hiding place for anaerobic sulfur-producing bacteria.

Don’t go out on Valentines without these essentials. Carry your box of chocolates in one hand, your roses in the other, and Therabreath Gum or Zox mints in your pocket. The sweetness of your breath really does effect how sweet a time you’ll have with your loved one.