Causes and Cure of Bad Breath

Bad breath is a common problem, affecting almost all of us at one time or another and is medically known as halitosis.

Cause of bad breath
For most people the cause of their bad breath will come from their teeth, gums, and tongue. The bad odor will come from bacteria in the mouth that is the result of food particles left in the mouth after eating. Poor dental habits can also be a major contributing cause of bad breath. Decay in the mouth will produce a sulphur compound which leaves behind a bad smell. Bad breath can also occur for other reasons that include a dry mouth, diabetes, infection, liver problems, or kidney failure. Smoking is another contributing factor. Many cancer patients will find that they have a dry mouth after they have undergone radiation therapy.

Bad breath cure
One home remedy is to dissolve baking soda in water and wash the tongue with this. Another traditional bad breath cure is to rinse the mouth with lemon juice diluted with water. Several different herbs are recommended as breath fresheners, among them aniseed, cloves, rosemary and thyme, all of which can be chewed or used as tea when stewed in hot water. One traditional bad breath cure which is backed up by modern research is yogurt. Now research backed by the International Association for Dental Research seems to show that eating plain live yogurt for six weeks can reduce levels of oral bacteria by up to 80%.