3 Natural Ways to Fight Bad Breath

Bad breath is just an all-around unfortunate thing. It can make social situations uncomfortable, and it’s not pleasant to experience even if you’re all alone. There are quite a few quick-fixes out there and if you already religiously floss and brush, it can be quite frustrating trying to deal with it.

1. Killer C Water

The water will keep your mouth moist, but most importantly, this drink will help kill the bacteria causing bad breath because oranges, strawberries, and kiwis are incredibly high in vitamin C, and vitamin C will create an acidic environment hard for bacteria to thrive in. Vitamin C is water-soluble, so you can indeed get its goodness by infusing the water with the fruit.

You will need…
-1-2 large oranges
-3 Kiwis
-4 Strawberries
-Roughly 2 liters of fresh tap water
-Glass jar or some kind of jug
-A squirt of lime (optional)

Directions
Slice up your fruit, it doesn’t matter what size really, as long as it can fit in your container. Place it in your jug and then pour in 2 liters of fresh water, filling it all the way to the top. Put the drink in the refrigerator and let it chill overnight, allowing all the vitamins to seep into the liquid. Drink in the morning along with breakfast, and whenever you feel the need throughout the day. This will keep up to a week in the refrigerator.

2. Make Lemon Juice “Candies”

Our salivary glands produce 3 pints of saliva every day. Far from just “spit” our saliva is really an amazing liquid that contains calcium and phosphorus for our teeth to absorb, fights off bacteria to prevent cavities (and bacteria that causes bad breath) and helps the flow of food and water pass through our mouth and throat. Because of the whole bacteria bit, dry mouth usually equals bad breath. If you find yourself in this situation, try doing a little more than just swigging water, and make ice cubes with lemon juice and- if you are ok with the taste-cinnamon. The water as it melts will obviously moisten your mouth, while the sourness of the lemon juice and the sucking action with start the saliva flow. Adding a dash of ground cinnamon is optional, but it has been found to be quite good at killing bacteria due to a component called cinnamic aldehyde.

You will need…
-Fresh tap water
-The juice of one lemon, or ½ cup pre-squeezed
-an ice cube tray
-Pinch of ground cinnamon (optional)

Directions
If you’re using it, put a small pinch of cinnamon in the bottom of the tray. Add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to each compartment in the ice cube tray, and then cover with water. Give each a little stir, and then allow to freeze. When they are done, place them in a plastic bag and use something to crush them up once or twice so you still have decent sized pieces but you aren’t shoving a whole giant cube into your mouth. Keep this baggy in the freezer and suck on the ice whenever you need it. You could also leave them in cube form, and add to your drinking water to prolong the stimulating flavor. You can adjust the sourness by adding more or less lemon juice. Do be aware that too much acid can erode the enamel of your teeth if ingested in excess.

3. Utilize Natures Toothbrushes

Whenever you need a quick “brush up” but don’t have the chance to go grab your toothbrush, try snacking on any of the following foods. They not only kill bacteria, but are naturally fibrous enough to -“scrub” your teeth.

Apples: The high fiber content plus the encouraging of saliva production makes apples one of the top natural toothbrushes out there.

Celery and raw carrots: Firm and crisp these veggies “brush” your teeth and also have a high moisture content to help keep your whistle wet.

Cinnamon sticks: Just like ground cinnamon, chewing on a cinnamon stick will release essential oils that kill bacteria, and it has a good smell to boot. You can also make our homemade cinnamon mouthwash to get rid of bad breath.

Berries: Berries are high in antioxidants, which can help stave off the nasties that cause your mouth to have a bad odor.

Note: Be wary of mint

Mint does not kill bacteria, nor does it encourage salivation. It is the quickest of fixes, so be aware that if you pop one in before a date, it won’t be long until it wears off.

If you have bad breath, the first thing to do is brush and floss regularly. If you don’t have an underlying illness (such as tonsillitis) and brushing and flossing just isn’t doing the trick, try any of the above. Make sure to do your best and figure out what’s causing the bad breath (dry mouth? Excess bacteria?) So you know how to nip it right in the bud.

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