Picture this. You’re at your favorite Italian restaurant. The fettuccini is calling your name. The garlic bread is beckoning you.
“But what about my breath?” you think. “It’s already bad!”
You’re not alone in your worries about bad breath. This embarrassing oral health condition affects over 80 million Americans on a chronic basis.
Dare we say it? It’s time to take back control of your breath!
By following these 7 tips to prevent bad breath, you can finally have your cake, ‘er, garlic bread, and eat it too!
1. Trade in Your Boozy Mouthwash
All those bright-colored, mega-minty mouthwashes at the store promise to kill your bad breath germs. And at first, they do. That’s courtesy of their high alcohol content (which also gives you that burning, stinging sensation).
The problem is: the breath-freshening effects are short-lived. Alcohol is a drying agent, and when the mouth gets dry, bad breath molecules quickly begin to multiply.
Ironic, isn’t it? The mouthwash you’re using for fresh breath could actually be making your breath worse! Not OK!
What you can do: Switch to an alcohol-free mouthwash. Oxyfresh has 5 unique mouthwash formulas to choose from, each guaranteed to give you fresh breath, up to 6 hours at a time. You’ll love them all!
2. Give Your Tongue Some TLC
Your poor tongue … it gets so overlooked when it comes to bad breath prevention. Sure, you may swipe it with your toothbrush, but it’s not really doing much to remove the bacteria.
The tongue is where most bad breath originates, especially in the way back. The most effective way to clean the tongue is with a Tongue Scraper.
It’s proven to remove 75% more odorous bacteria vs. brushing! (You can also invert a kitchen spoon if you’re in a pinch.)
Once you start tongue scraping, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it! It’s that great!
3. Drink This, Not That
One of the biggest causes of bad breath is dry mouth. As logic would then suggest, keeping the mouth moist is a key to bad breath prevention. The best way to do this is by staying hydrated.
Word to the wise: what you hydrate with matters.
Best beverages for bad breath prevention:
- Water – increases saliva production, which defends the mouth against the production of bad breath molecules
- Green and black teas – contain polyphenols, which wipe out sulfur compounds and reduce bacteria in the mouth
Worst beverages for the breath:
- Colas and fruit juices – sugar causes bacteria to flourish
- Coffee – what’s strong and odorous going in, will be odorous as your body breaks it down
- Alcohol – dries out the mouth
4. Moderate Your Medication
At the first seasonal sniffle, do you reach for an antihistamine? What about a pain reliever at the first throb of a headache? Over 400 medications, both over-the-counter and prescribed, can give you bad breath by drying out the mouth.
Cut back on over-the-counter meds where you can, and talk to your doctor about dry mouth/bad breath concerns regarding your prescribed medications.
5. Add Probiotics to Your Daily Diet
Probiotics (aka “the good bacteria”) aren’t just good for your gut! They’re also beneficial for a healthy mouth. Probiotics inhibit “bad” bacteria growth in the mouth, giving you fresher breath, less plaque and even fewer cavities!
Which foods are great sources of probiotics? Check out this list of the top 18.
6. Get Your Glorious Vitamin C
Not just for colds anymore! Eating a diet rich in vitamin C (or even taking a vitamin C supplement) is a great, and healthy way, to ward off bad breath. Vitamin C naturally inhibits the production of oral bacteria.
Bonus for vitamin C foods that pack a fibrous crunch, as eating these will help remove food particles that could otherwise begin to break down in the teeth and smell. Check out Dr. Axe’s Top 10 Vitamin C Foods.
7. Don’t Forget to Floss
So simple, yet so important, flossing had to make our bad breath prevention list.
Many people are guilty of just brushing and calling it good. Are you one of them? Then your breath (and eventually your gums and wallet) will start to suffer.
Brushing can only do so much to prevent bad breath. Flossing is essential to get in between the teeth, where food particles become trapped.
As the particles break down, plaque is formed, which is loaded with bacteria. (Bacteria = stinky). Floss is a must because it actually gets up into the gum line to remove plaque.
Feel Confident About Your Breath Every Day
Stop hiding behind your hand and start experiencing fresh breath confidence … yes, even when you have that garlic bread!
Follow these 7 smart ways to prevent bad breath, and be sure to check out Oxyfresh’s line of alcohol-free mouthwashes.
That’s 5 unique mouthwashes, each dye-free, alcohol-free and guaranteed to freshen the breath for 6 hours at a time. The only hard part is choosing just one!
