How to help get rid of bad breath

Being told you have bad breath can be really embarrassing, especially if the person commenting on it is an intimate partner or colleague.

But on the bright side, Marc Lazare, DDS, MAGD, a dentist based in New York, recommends seeing it as an opportunity. “The mouth is a window to the rest of the body,” he says. “There may be things going on that you are not aware of but that the mouth will reveal.”

While bad breath — or as doctors call it, halitosis — can have a cause as simple as food caught between teeth, it might also be a sign of gastrointestinal issues, gum diseases, tonsil stones or other health issues.

Luckily, there’s a path forward. With the right products, tips and help of health care providers, you can get close and personal with confidence.

In this article:

What causes bad breath?

Bad breath can have many causes — and one case of bad breath might have multiple causes — but 90 percent of cases result from problems in the mouth and throat. Some common culprits include bits of leftover food, infection of the gums, particles that coat the tongue, poor dental hygiene and throat infections.

“The tongue is like Velcro because it has these deep valleys that trap sulfur compounds,” says Dr. Lazare. Particles from garlic, onions and other foods can gather there, he adds. Over time, these sulfur compounds start to degrade and get smelly. When the mouth dries out, the layer of saliva covering them evaporates, causing a wave of bad breath.

Not properly cleaning your mouth after eating also results in more sulfur compounds being trapped in the oral cavity. And smoking increases volatile sulfur compounds and dries out the mouth, both of which contribute to bad breath.

Other, less common sources of bad breath include gum disease and something called tonsil stones, which are small, hard lumps that form on the tonsils, sometimes because of a bacterial infection.

Bad breath can also come from problems farther down the gastrointestinal or respiratory tracts. If bad breath persists after changes to an oral hygiene routine, doctors may look for respiratory infections, such as sinusitis or bronchitis; gastrointestinal diseases, such as Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS); and some forms of cancer.

“Pinpointing the root cause of the bad breath is an important step,” says Joyce Kahng, a cosmetic and restorative dentist and the owner of Orange + Magnolia Dental Studio in Costa Mesa, California.

How to fix bad breath?

The easiest place to start if you have bad breath is to improve your dental hygiene, explains Dr. Kahng. This includes brushing and flossing twice daily as well as rinsing out the mouth with water after every meal. “It releases the food in your mouth so that it doesn’t get trapped there,” says Dr. Lazare.

Getting the right toothbrush is the first step. A wide variety of styles and bristle types are available, with some national dental organizations recommending soft bristles. Recent research shows that an electric toothbrush might do a better job at keeping tooth decay at bay. Floss and dental picks also come in an increasing array of styles, and mouthwash can help, too.

Both Dr. Lazare and Dr. Kahng strongly recommend adding tongue scraping to your routine. (Be sure to ask your dentist about proper techniques.) “It mechanically removes the film on top of the tongue, which is usually an accumulation of dead skin cells and debris trapped between the bumps on the tongue,” says Dr. Kahng. When done daily, the practice has been shown to reduce odors.

Dry mouth is another reason for bad breath. An easy step is to stay hydrated. This will keep your mouth producing saliva, which can keep smelly molecules from escaping into the air. If hydration with water is not enough to prevent bad breath, Dr. Lazare recommends SmartMouth dry mouth rehydrating oral rinse, which both hydrates and prevents odors. Dr. Kahng recommends TheraBreath 24-hour fresh breath oral rinse, which kills bacteria without drying out the mouth.

Dr. Kahng notes that even if you have a great oral care routine, you might still have bad breath if you consume a lot of sulfur-containing foods, including garlic and onions. “I also recommend limiting tobacco, alcohol or coffee,” says Dr. Kahng, who notes these products can dry out the mouth.

Regular visits to a dentist are also a must, especially if you are prone to periodontal or gum diseases. “You may have a gum infection or a cracked tooth, and because it’s not bothering you, you don’t realize it,” says Dr. Lazare.

Home remedies for bad breath

Along with these steps, a few other things can be done at home to manage bad breath.

Dr. Lazare sometimes tells clients to try Ayurvedic gum pulling, which is a process of swishing oil around in the mouth to remove bacteria (Dr. Lazare suggests using sesame or sunflower oil). Thousands of years old, the practice has been found to improve overall dental health, although it is not commonly used in the United States

For short-term solutions, consider using a mouthwash after brushing and flossing to improve the overall smell of your breath. And time-honored solutions include chewing things that smell sweet, such as cloves or mint.

Oral hygiene best practices

To recap, oral hygiene and staying hydrated are two of the most important weapons against bad breath. And avoiding tobacco and certain strong foods can also help.

As for frequency, Dr. Kahng tells all her patients to brush, floss and scrape their tongues at least twice daily. Flossing not only helps prevent cavities and gum disease, but it also removes bacteria that may cause bad breath.

Because dry mouth is such a prevalent cause of bad breath, some toothpastes are formulated to not foam as much, with the goal of not stripping the mouth of moisture.

If you can’t brush after a meal, Dr. Lazare suggests you rinse your mouth out with water and spit it out. This can expel food particles and bacteria that can become trapped on the tongue or in other places in the mouth. If you are worried about cracking or damaging teeth, which can lead to disease and therefore bad breath, he also recommends taking test bites of food before biting into hard things.

Finally, don’t be afraid to consult your dentist if you fear that you have a problem with bad breath. “We become desensitized to our own odors,” Dr. Lazare says. “Don’t be embarrassed if someone tells you you have bad breath.”

This content is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult your health care provider before taking any vitamins or supplements and prior to beginning or changing any health care practices.