There is nothing like that feeling fresh and clean air that follows immediately after brushing your teeth – but, unfortunately, often do not last long. You can try to recreate all day popping mints, gum and mint concoctions spraying in the mouth, but it seems that nothing has a very lasting effect, before you know it, your mouth feels like a garbage can again and is afraid of being too close to anyone when you are talking.
It is important to realize that while fresh mint taste almost ensure good breath, at least for the moment, the lack of it does not mean you have bad breath. Many people think they have bad breath when in fact they do not. In addition, many cases of bad smell from the mouth are caused by food or beverages – these odors are transitory and will soon pass and be forgotten. The smell of smoke, snuff is more persistent, simply because it says the problem continued smoking, but even this is not bad breath in the classical sense, and a strong mint or breath spray will do wonders to maintain fresh breath.
There are some old recipes at home for good breath, and rinsing with baking soda hydrogen peroxide, or both, but people buy more commercial products today. The market for halitosis has proven a lucrative and there are plenty of brands to choose from. As with everything else, there is a price range, and some fresh breath products work better than others. But the good news is that many of them work very well.
The best products are those that contain an antiseptic ingredient, ie something that gets rid of oral bacteria. The bad smell we associate with halitosis is caused by bacteria living in the mouth, especially on the tongue, between teeth, and no air in small pockets and folds in the mouth. When there is a lot of a particular group of bacteria who live and flourish in the mouth, foul odors occur: get rid of them and have good breath. The products are based on a strong-smelling ingredients, like mints simply mask the odor and produce a temporary fresh breath does not last.
Most good breath products that act on bacteria are mouthwashes and rinses, however, some gum and strips, most available directly from the manufacturer, are available. For most people with halitosis, the best way to breath fresh is to select the complementary products (gum, mouthwash, etc) and use them consistently over a long period of time.
R. Drysdale is a freelance writer with more than 25 years experience as a health care professional. She is a contributing editor to Fresh Breath, a blog dedicated to the treatment of bad breath.
