Besides brushing and mouthwash, what's the best thing to do to get rid of severe bad breath?

Answer 1

bad breath can come from a variety of sources it can come from the tongue food hidden between teeth or in the gums. or even your stomach.
ASK yourself this
Did you clean your teeth properly?Proper brushing (several minutes every time, making sure to stroke properly, massage the gums and get everywhere), flossing (or a similar method of cleaning between adjacent teeth and gums), and periodic visits to the hygienist are of prime importance in having fresh breath.
DO you FLOSSSSS?!?!?!
Researchers, for the most part, suggest flossing as a very important addition to toothbrushing. In research carried out here, subjects who said that they floss had much less bad breath (as well as gum disease) as compared with those that said they did not.

It is important to use floss properly, following professional instruction. Remember to floss around the ends of the teeth at the ends of each row.
Children would probably have problems flossing, since it requires a delicate control of the fingers they don't have yet.

One of the great advantages of using floss, is that you can smell the floss directly following each passage between the teeth, and clean the smelly areas more diligently.

Consult your dentist or hygienist for instructions for proper flossing

The time to use mouthwash
The best time to use any mouthrinse appears to be right before bedtime. Since in many instances, bad breath involves the back of the tongue, it is probably helpful to gargle the mouthrinse. Some clinicians recommend extending the tongue while gargling, in order to allow the mouthrinse to reach farther back.

Are you a gum chewer?
The efficacy of chewing gum is probably due to the effect of salivation, combined with the cleansing effect of mastication.
What kind of chewing gum you chew is probably less important.

Chewing gum has its downsides. Firstly, excessive chewing can screw up the joints connecting your jaw. Some people also claim that chewing gum gets your stomach all excited and prepared for food, when none is forthcoming.

The best compromise appears to be to chew gum for a minute or two at a time. Also, since chewing is not exactly a welcome habit for bankers, teachers, doctors or lawyers on the job, I recommend that one chews a piece of gum (preferably sugarless) during brief visits to the bathroom. One can chew for a minute or so in privacy, and part with the wad in the washroom, before stepping back into society.

Is your mouth dry alot?
Saliva is the natural mouthwash we were born with. People who do not have sufficient flow of saliva tend to suffer from more dental caries and periodontal disease.Bad breath is worst when there is little or no saliva flow, for example after a night's sleep. As soon as one wakes up and starts to salivate, the smell recedes somewhat.

Another classic way to get saliva flowing is to drop a few drops of lemon on your tongue (also helpful for saxophone players).

Yoga teaches another way to get the saliva flowing. Roll your tongue from the sides to the center and breathe in very quickly through your mouth. Yet another approach is to think of a tender chicken breast (or whatever gets your juices flowing).

Many things have an effect on reducing saliva flow. Not drinking enough is one. Living in a hot climate, drinking is very important. Ask any camel...

One common item that causes our mouths and throats to dry out is stress and nerves. Just being nervous can cause bad breath. Unfortunately, the very thought of having bad breath stresses some people, and can lead to a self-fulfilling state.

Another cause of dry mouth is talking too much. This is an occupational hazard of teachers, lawyers, and extroverts. Be careful. Not only can talking dry your mouth out, but bad breath is smelled by others mainly when you are talking, not breathing.


Do you drink enough water????
water helps rinse your mouth out. and a plus it keeps you hydrated and makes your skin stay clear too =)

Answer 2

Besides the brushing and using mouthwash, when you brush your teeth do you also brush your tounge? There are about 70-75% of people who do not realize that they need to brush their tounge as well as their teeth. Your can buy neat little tounge scrapers at local pharmacies and some dentists sell whole kits including paste, mouthwash, and toungescrapers. Also make sure to floss daily...it doesn't really matter what kind of floss you use so don't go out and buy the most most expensive. If that still does not work, then my friend, I would strongly suggest that you do get a professional teeth cleaning to make sure that you do not have periodontal disease...which is a disease of the gums that is 100% treatable and most adults have it so it's not like you would be alone in the world with it. Most patients seen in dental offices are seen for gum disorders and cavity prevention. So give these things a try and if all else fails...call your local dentist office to set up an appointment with the hygienist (the teeth cleaner), it really is not that bad and do not be embarrassed, they see this everyday. Good Luck!!

Answer 3

Forget about mouthwash, it only temporarily masks the problem. For example, if your dog pooped in your house and you decided to spray the room with air freshner and leave the poop on the floor, your house will smell like Garden Meadow Poo. Eventually the Garden Meadow smell will go away, and your house will still smell like poo. You need to remove the source of the problem to eliminate the smell.

How to eliminate halitosis (bad breath)

1. Get a professional teeth cleaning. If it's been a long time since you have been to a dentist, there will be a build-up of calculus (tartar) on your teeth that cannot be removed by brushing.

2. Brush THOROUGHLY 2x per day. It's amazing how many people do not brush throughly. I recommend good quality electric toothbrushes, they are thorough, but gentle on the gums. If you are too rough on your gums you will wear the gums away (recede) which is called toothbrush abrasion.

3. Floss. It removes odour causing bacteria where your toothbrush won't reach. My ex husband had bad breath one day and I asked him if he brushed, he said he did and he is a VERY thorough brusher. I asked him if he flossed and he said no. After he flossed his teeth his bad breath was gone.

4. Clean your tongue. Go back as far as you can without gagging. You can use your toothbrush or a tongue scraper. I prefer to use a brush. There is odour causing bacteria on your tongue.

5, Obviously eating certain foods like onions and garlic will effect your breath temporarily. Don't eat too much of these foods if you plan on making out later ;D

Answer 4

Bad breath can be a symptom of a bigger problem. Eliminate the simple things first, such as cleaning your teeth, in between your teeth, behind your molars, and scraping your tongue. Drug stores now sell tongue scrapers. Sometimes there's a place in your dental work you just can't get to and that's where a piece of food is festering away, so see your dentist. If he can't find anything, you then should see your doc. Some people have folds or pockets in their throat that can also trap food particles and there's no way to get to these areas without a doctor.

Answer 5

Get a check up/cleaning at the dentist's office. Could be a bad tooth causing it. Also, I've read somewhere that it could actually come from your stomach as well, not sure if that's true though, but does make sense.

Answer 6

if you've done all of these things (including floss, believe me, lack of this can make breath kick!), and brushed/scraped your tongue, eat lemons (its a little trick that works, i eat a lemon wedge before i leave a resturant, and my breath always smells great. it squelches the oders in the stomach as well as in the mouth) or go to a gastrointernologist. you may have a complicated gas problem or any other type of GI disorder.

Answer 7

After you have exhausted the regular, superficial or OTC options and there is no improvement, your next stop should be the nearest dental office for professional cleaning.

Answer 8

See your dentist. Sounds like you need a little dental work.

Answer 9

Definately mint...whether it be mint gum or other mint candy...I personally think the stongest most effective mint are the thin strips of mint

Answer 10

Make sure that you brush your tongue at the back.