BAD BREATH TREATMENT

Suppose you conduct a 'breath test' as you make your way to an important meeting, you fail. Don't worry - the following quick fixes can help to minimize your horrible halitosis. If your gums, tongue and teeth are harbouring odour-causing bacteria, you ll want to adopt some rigorous daily hygiene habits to inhibit them.That's when special rinses, attention to toothpaste and regular brushing and flossing can begin bad breath good.

Take emergency measures

• A dry mouth is a haven for the bacteria that cause bad breath. So find a tap and swish the water around in your mouth. Water will temporarily dislodge bacteria and make your breath a bit more acceptable. 

• At the end of your business lunch or romantic dinner, munch the sprig of parsley that's left on your plate. Parsley is rich in chlorophyll, a well known breath deodorizer with germ fighting properties. 

• If you can get hold of an orange, peel and eat it. The citric acid it contains will stimulate your salivary glands and encourage the flow of breath-freshening saliva. 

• If there are no oranges in sight, eat whatever is available,except known breath-pollutants such as garlic, onions or a stinky cheese. Eating encourages the flow of saliva, which helps to remove the unpleasant, odour-causing material on the surface of your tongue. 

• vigorously scrape your tongue over your teeth. Your tongue can become coated with bacteria that ferment proteins, producing gases that smell bad. Scraping your tongue can dislodge these bacteria so you can rinse them away. 

• If you have a metal or plastic spoon to hand, you can use it as an effective tongue scraper. To scrape safely, place the spoon on the back of your tongue and drag it forwards. Repeat four or five times. Scrape the sides of the tongue as well, with the same back- to -front motion. But don't push the spoon too far back in your mouth as you may activate your gag reflex and cause yourself to vomit. 

Raid the spice rack  

• Cloves are rich in eugenol, a potent antibacterial. Simply pop one into your mouth and dent it with your teeth. The pungent aromatic oil may burn slightly, so keep the spicy clove moving. Continue to bite until the essence permeates your mouth, then spit it out. Don't use clove oil or powdered cloves; they are too strong and can cause burns. 

• Chew on fennel, dill, cardamom or anise seeds. Anise, which tastes like liquorice, can kill the bacteria that grow on the tongue.The others will help to mask the odour of halitosis. 

• Suck on a stick of cinnamon. Like cloves, cinnamon is effective as a mouth antiseptic. 

Choose your fresheners 

• Most popular branded products advertised as breath-fresheners are rarely, if ever, effective in the long term. But it appears that a chlorine dioxide rinse, such as Eliminator Mouthwash (available online), can combat the sulphur com-pounds responsible for bad breath. 

• Use a toothpaste that contains tea tree oil, a natural disinfectant. If you can't find it in the pharmacy, look for it in health-food shops (Holland & Barrett have their own brand). 

The power of prevention 

• Use an oral irrigator (such as Powerfloss), which is a hand-held gadget that rapidly pulses a small jet of water into your mouth, to flush out the bad bacteria. It can go deeper than a brush or floss can reach.
• Carry a toothbrush with you and brush after every meal. Brushing thwarts the development of plaque, the soft sticky film that coats the teeth and gums. It is not necessarily good advice to brush immediately after a meal: if you have consumed anything erosive, like cola or citrus fruit, this can cause added dental enamel. In this instance, brushing an hour after a meal is better. 

• Keep chewing gum in your pocket or bag. Chewing a stick especially after meals, will stimulate saliva flow and clear away food debris. 

• to keep your toothbrush free of bacteria, store it, head down in a lidded plastic tumbler of hydrogen peroxide. Rinse the brush well before you use it. 



• If you wear dentures, it's possible that they are absorbing the bad odours in your mouth. Always soak them overnight in an septic solution, unless your dentist has advised you otherwise.



• Don't skip meals. When you don't eat for a long period of  time, your mouth can get very dry It becomes a perfect breeding ground for bacteria.



• Some things can sour your breath even when there are no bad becteria. These include cigarettes, alcohol, onions, garlic especially strong cheeses such as Camembert, Roquefort other blue cheeses. In situations where sweet breath is a  must, use the commonsense approach — just say no.  



• Ask your doctor if a medication could be fouling the air you expel. Any drug that dries out your mouth, thereby depriving it of saliva, is suspect. These include over-the-conter antihistamines, decongestants, diet pills and also prescription medications for depression, rheumatoid arthritis and high blood pressure.