What is Halitosis?

An unpleasant odor experienced by a person while breathing out air from the mouth, is referred to as Halitosis. In simple terms, halitosis is nothing but bad breath, which is quite common and prevalent among the patients suffering from dental problems. The mouth is the origination point of this disease, and is seen very commonly among most of the people, mainly those who have very less or poor oral hygiene.

Causes of Halitosis

As already indicated, mouth is the originator of this disease. In as much as 85% to 90% of the cases of halitosis, mouth is the originator. Oral dryness in the mouth, eating certain types of food such as garlic, onion, meat, fish and cheese, smoking habits and consumption of alcohol are some of the reasons of bad breath in the mouth. Unpleasant odor coming from the mouth is due to the accumulation of proteins processed by oral bacteria in the mouth. It has been found that as many as 600 types of bacteria are found in the mouth of an average person. The tongue is the most common location from where bad breath originates. The upper surface of the tongue in the inner part of the mouth is relatively dry and is the best place for bacterial populations. The remnants of food deposits settling in this part of the tongue or mouth provide a fertile ground for the growth and breeding of bacteria. The anaerobic breakdown of proteins into amino acids is found to be one of the major causes for bad breath. The amino acids further breakdown in to certain types of gases, additionally leading to bad breath.

Home Remedies for Halitosis

While there are a number of home remedies for halitosis to provide relief for patients suffering from halitosis, the most effective treatment for halitosis that can be carried out at home without the advice of a dentist includes, among other things, maintaining good oral hygiene. Eating a healthy breakfast that contains a sizable quantity of rough foods helps in cleaning the back portion of the tongue, which is the major source for originating bad breath.

Besides, it is necessary that the tongue is cleaned, preferably twice a day, with a brush that helps in wiping off the biofilm as well as debris and mucus of bacteria formed in the surface. However, it should be ensured that toothbrush having tough bristles is not used for cleaning the tongue. It is advisable to maintain the water levels in the body, especially in the mouth region, and ultimately adequate number of glasses of water is to be taken in on a daily basis. Yet another remedy for oral hygiene is to have an effective mouthwash by means of gargling with lukewarm water immediately after the dinner and before going to the bed for sleep as most of the bacteria is active only at sleep.

Halitosis is a common occurrence among people and as in the case of other common diseases of this nature, there are quite a number of home remedies for halitosis, which provide relief to the patients suffering from bad breath. One of the excellent home remedies for halitosis is the consumption of a very green raw guava. Chewing a green cardamom for a relatively longer period of duration after the meals is also one of the many home remedies for halitosis.

Drinking tea prepared from fenugreek leaves helps to a great extent in avoiding bad breath. Yet another means of getting rid of bad breath is drinking fruit and vegetable juices at frequent intervals. It is also advisable that sugarless chewing gum is taken, especially when the mouth is dry and there is no reason to perform oral hygiene procedures immediately after meals. This chewing gum helps in providing saliva to the mouth and promotes a mechanical action that culminates in cleaning the mouth.