10 Easy Steps to Getting Rid of Bad Breath

Bad breath, or halitosis, affects more than 90 million Americans and can be a sign of periodontal disease or infections. What is the number one cause of bad breath? Bacteria that usually hang out in the back of  your mouth and which produce gases.

Here are a couple of tips to avoid or get your bad breath in control.

Clean your tongue
On of the most effective ways to clean up your breath is to brush the back of your tongue. It reduces odor by 85 percent , instead of just 15 percent when you just brush your teeth. You can use a tongue scraper or turn a spoon upside down and insert it as far in your mouth as you can, and draw it forward over your tongue several times. Do this once a day before you brush your teeth.

Practice good oral hygiene
To help keep bad-breath bacteria away brush and floss at least twice a day. If you can't use your toothbrush, use Oral-B-Brush-Ups, they are easy to use and fit on your finger, without having to use a toothbrush and toothpaste.

Eat yogurt
Eating six ounces of plain yogurt a day significantly decreases odor-causing compunds in your mouth. If you don't like plain yogurt add artificial sweetner, like splenda, but don't use sugar, because it can make the bacteria grow.

Eat veggies
Carrots, apples, or anything with a rough or fibrous consistency will rub over the back of your tongue as you swallow and clean off the bacteria.

Drink tea
Tea contains polyphenols, compounds that can slow the growth of bad-breath bacteria, say researchers at the University of Illinois. And in lab tests, tea prevented bacteria from producing stinky sulfur compounds even after 48 hours. It doesn't matter what kind of tea, green, black, or white, hot or cold they all work the same on bad breath.

Stay hydrated
When you are dehydrated, you produce less saliva and your mouth is dry so bacteria thrives. Drink at least six eight-ounce glasses of water a day.

Eat parsley
Parsley contains chlorophyll. Chew parsley after a meal and stimulate saliva production, which gets rid of bacteria.