5 Natural Cures For Bad Breath

Bad breath is an extremely embarrassing and common problem. There can be various underlying causes of bad breath like smoking, vitamin deficiency in the body, poor oral hygiene, improper food habits etc. Bacteria that builds up on our teeth, gums and tongue causes the bad breath. Bad breath may also be an indication of existence of gum diseases.

Excessive consumption of alcohol can also make your breath bad as it causes dryness of the mouth. Saliva maintain the hydration levels in the mouth and clears the bacteria and food remnants thereby thwarting the bad breath. In this feature we will introduce you to 5 natural cures for bad breath.

Natural Ways To Cure Bad Breath

Vinegar

Vinegar has deep cleaning properties. In this case, it is recommended that you use apple cider vinegar. Apple itself is considered very good for oral health and vinegar compounds its properties as a cleanser. You may obtain unprocessed apple cider vinegar and add half a bowl to a glass of warm water.

To this water, add a spoon of salt. After you have brushed your teeth, swish this solution in your mouth like a mouthwash. In fact you can substitute your regular mouthwash with this vinegar solution. However use it for a week and then start its use again after a gap of one week. This is because the acidity of vinegar is not good for teeth enamel.

Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera is a mild herb but has strong anti-bacterial properties. Since the very cause of bad breath is increase of bacteria in the mouth, Aloe Vera can help in alleviating this issue easily. Take half a bowl of Aloe Vera gel and mix it in a glass of warm water. Mix thoroughly and swish and gargle in your mouth after you have brushed your teeth and have had a meal. Refrain from eating for about half an hour after this remedy so that the Aloe Vera effectively destroys the bacterial build up in the mouth and coats it with the solution.

Mint

Mint has a fragrant aroma to it. The reason behind this aroma is presence of menthol in its leaves. Menthol is a base ingredient in many chewing gums and mouth freshener. Kindly note that mint does not cure but covers the bad breath. Take 4-5 mint leaves and chew on them for a minute until all the juices coat your mouth from inside.

You can spit the remains of the leaves or gulp them down. Mint is good for your stomach as well so eating the leaves is a great idea in itself. Drinking mint tea after meals is also another option but is not as effective as chewing the leaves.

Basil & Coriander

Both basil and coriander have wonderful aroma. Chewing on them not only repels the bad breath but also encourages production of saliva. As mentioned earlier, saliva keeps the mouth clean and clears the bacterial build up regularly. These herbs contain chlorophyll that has mouth freshening properties. Both these herbs are mild in taste and do not sting like mint and other mouth washes that you might be using.

Neem

Neem is known to be very bitter, but its bark is not as bitter as the leaves or its fruit. This bark can be used to clean your teeth regularly. Neem bark has been used in India since ancient times for maintaining oral hygiene. You can apply toothpaste on the bark and massage your gums and teeth with it.

Alternatively, just brush your teeth, and thereafter chew on the bark for a few minutes. Do not gulp it down. Wash your mouth thoroughly. The anti-microbial and antiseptic properties of neem will keep your mouth clean and keep the bad breath away.