In the past, it was believed that the cause of bad breath was a disorder in the digestive organs. But today it has been shown that the odor in the mouth is emitted by microorganisms that inhabit the tongue, teeth and gums. Like people, bacteria eat our residues…
The culprit of bad breath is bacteria
In the past, it was believed that the cause of bad breath was a disorder in the digestive organs. But today it has been shown that the odor in the mouth is emitted by microorganisms that inhabit the tongue, teeth and gums. Like people, bacteria eat our leftover food and excrete waste, which includes volatile gases. Especially when sleeping, because saliva and air are trapped in the mouth, odor-producing bacteria multiply faster. In addition, these bacteria like dry conditions, so people who have to talk a lot, like teachers, actors and lawyers, often do this. In addition, some drugs can also reduce the amount of saliva a person produces.
The favorite food of odor-producing bacteria is not sweets, but protein, mainly animal foods, namely meat, eggs, fish, seafood and milk residue. Peas, green beans, soybeans, walnuts, peanuts, and hazelnuts in plant-based foods are also prone to foul odors in the residue left in the mouth during consumption.
People with bad breath are often unaware
Here’s the problem: Most people don’t even notice their bad breath. Just because of bad breath, colleagues avoid them, and it is even more difficult to make friends of the opposite sex. The reason why it cannot be detected is because its unique anatomy prevents us from smelling this odor.
It turns out that the soft palate at the back of our mouth is connected to the nasal cavity. The problem is that the nose can’t smell the odors coming from the back of the mouth, not even the stronger ones, so we don’t notice…
What should I do? The easiest way is to use a small spoon to the depths of the tongue to scrape the tongue coating, and smell it by yourself, because this is what the people around you smell.
How to overcome bad breath
Obviously, the mouth has to be “cleaned” twice a day, but it is not enough to brush your teeth with toothpaste. You have to use toothpicks or floss to pick off the residue between the teeth, or buy a special scraper to scrape it off. Tongue coating, so that the odor will be reduced.
In addition, eat less protein in the diet, and vegetarians rarely suffer from bad breath.
As for what kind of chewing gum and mouth fresheners are used, they have little effect, and can achieve the effect of up to 15 minutes. Anything that washes away bacteria and stimulates saliva throughout the day is effective in treating bad breath. Such as gargling with water, drinking a few sips of mineral water every half hour, sucking a lemon wedge from time to time, etc. Drinking a sip of herbal tea mixed with lemon juice without sugar is the best way to get rid of bad breath. Scientists in Illinois, USA, have found that polyphenols contained in tea can inhibit the reproduction of decaying bacteria, and only need to drink a few cups of weak tea every day, but it has to be freshly brewed.
Drinking yogurt also works. Japanese researchers have found some volunteers to test, and found that after drinking 90 grams of yogurt every day, 80% of the bad breath improved greatly. This is because the bacteria in yogurt inhibit the activity of decaying bacteria in the mouth, reducing the number of tongue coating and reducing the odor naturally. However, the yogurt has to be natural and cannot contain sugar.
