Having bad breath stinks; and chewing gum or sucking on a mint only provide short-term solutions. Even brushing your teeth—though important—is actually not that effective as a treatment itself.
What’s the root of bad breath? Scientists say that volatile sulfur compounds (VSC) are what typically lead to halitosis, and they’re believed to come from the interaction of oral bacteria from conditions like gum disease and infections, and within pockets and crevices of your teeth.
But, according to a report in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology, your tongue is the real problem. With its large surface area—and all the tiny cracks and grooves—your tongue harbors lots of the microorganisms that lead to volatile sulfur compounds.
In fact, scientists in Japan found that “tongue coating” had the greatest impact on producing volatile sulfur compounds in people’s mouths. This also explains why your breath is most likely to stink in the morning, since the compounds build up over night.
So now that we know what causes bad breath, here is a simple strategy to get rid of it:
- Clean your tongue.
This helps remove the bacteria that create volatile sulfur compounds, and leads to a reduction in their odor. And it’s best to do it with a tongue scraper.
When you brush your tongue with a little toothbrush, you might just be moving smelly bacteria around to different places on your tongue. But the larger surface area and flat design of a tongue scraper allow it to carry more bacteria out of your mouth when you scrape it forward, says Denis Kinane, B.D.S., Ph.D., the dean of University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine.
According to a Cochrane review of scientific literature, people who use a tongue scraper reduce volatile sulfur compounds by 42 percent, compared to 33 percent in those who brush their tongue.
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- Brush and floss twice a day.
You’ll remove tiny food particles and microorganisms that can lead to those volatile sulfur compounds. If you don’t floss, try it and then give the floss a sniff. Smell nasty? You’ve probably uncovered a breeding ground for unhealthy bacteria—and hopefully gained motivation to start flossing regularly. Keep in mind that gingivitis and periodontitis can lead to volatile sulfur compounds and bad breath, so regular dental checkups are a must.
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- Keep your mouth well-hydrated.
When you experience “dry mouth,” dead cells on your tongue, gums, and cheeks might build up. Without enough saliva to wash them away, bacteria will begin to feed off the dead cells and multiply. This produces a bunch of sulfur-related molecules that trigger bad breath, Dr. Kinane says.
If you frequently feel like your mouth is dry, try an over-the-counter rinse like Biotene, which has been shown to help with dry mouth. If your breath really reeks and you don’t have a rinse around, simply swish your mouth out with plain water. The rinsing action will physically remove some of the stinky bacteria, says Dr. Kinane.
Curated article from Men’s Health
Relevant Sources and Studies:
Journal of Applied Oral Science
