Halitosis, more familiarly known as bad breath is an awkward condition. Smelly mouth! That’s totally disgusting. It causes embarrassment, ruin relationships and even lead to distressing psychological issues.
The causes of bad breath range from banal reasons to potential life threatening complications. Halitosis treatment focuses more on improving oral health and targeting the underlying health conditions.
Bad breath is often caused by
In most cases halitosis is not an emergency condition. A good oral care and hygiene is sufficient to get rid of bad breath in most cases.
These home remedies for bad breath provide quick and short term relief from smelly mouth.
Instant relief from bad breath
Just rinse your mouth with an alcohol-free mouth wash after every meal. Mouth wash temporarily masks the foul smell. They do nothing to fix the cause of halitosis.
Chew a gum carrying a refreshing flavor like mint or menthol. Besides, chewing gum regularly improves saliva production.

Eat a cardamom pod, a clove or fennel seeds or sugar coat fennel after a meal to keep bad breath away.
Bad breath often linked with dry mouth! Dehydration produces less saliva and it encourages bacterial growth. So drink a lot of water and stay hydrated to inhibit bacterial infection.

Chew a bit of mint for a refreshing breath!
A secret remedy for bad breath – Press a piece of cucumber against the roof of your mouth for a minute!
When the bad breath is caused by eating foods like garlic, ginger, fish, etc the foul smell automatically withdraw itself upon digestion and excretion. If you suffer from repeated episodes of bad breath and smelly mouth, improve your oral health.

Change your tooth brush every month and make no excuses. Use a quality brush.
Brush two times a day. Floss after every meal. Flossing is an extra step to optimal oral health. It dislodges the food particles stuck in between the teeth. Gargle at least once a day with salt water.
Use a copper tongue scraper and scrape your tongue at least thrice a week. Don’t scrape your tongue too much. Too much scraping kills the taste buds in your mouth.
Chew your food. When you chew the food you produce more saliva and prevent bacterial growth. Add more crunchy foods like apple, carrot, pine apple, celery, etc

Baking soda is a simple home remedy that maintains the pH balance, which resists bacterial growth in the mouth. Rinse your mouth with baking soda water twice a day or add baking soda to your toothpaste when you brush.
Baking soda is also a natural teeth whitener!
Check your dentures

Even your dentures and braces cause you bad breath. The braces can buildup bacterial infection due to accumulation of tiny food particles. Remove it every night and clean it to avoid foul odor.
Weak digestive system
If you suffer from constipation or improper bowel movements, you become a prime candidate of smelly mouth. Also, if your food pipe is injured or blocked, it generates a lot of gas that leads to bad breath. Change your eating habits and get appropriate treatment to optimize digestion.
Body Cleanse
Give your body a good cleanse to remove the toxic buildup. A colon cleanse is recommended to treat bad breath.
When you don’t find any improvement, check with a dentist about possible cause of bad breath. Remember, poor oral hygiene is linked with risk of oral cancer, kidney, liver and lung disorders.
It is always better to consult an oral care practitioner to find the right treatment for bad breath.