Quick Cures for Bad Breath

Ever have a conversation with someone who almost instantly started back pedaling away from you mid-sentence? Bad breath might keep friends away, but fortunately it's often a social evil that's easy to banish.

Here are several quick cures for the typical causes of bad breath. Of course, if nothing works, it might be time to see your dentist.

Drink water — alcohol, coffee, and soda, besides being poor choices of beverage for your health, also tend to leave behind a smell reminiscent of a foul brewery or used ash tray.

Brush with baking soda — you probably have an open box of baking soda in your refrigerator absorbing foul smells. It can work just as well for your breath as its high alkaline pH chases away bacteria in your mouth which prefer more acidic environments. Of course, brushing itself helps remove plaque filled with odiferous bacteria.

Watch what you eat — some foods, even those good for you like garlic, just aren't the best choice for close conversation. Besides garlic, avoid onions, smelly fish like tuna, and even, go figure, your typical social event's array of spicy sandwich meats and aged cheese.

Don't toss the parsley — instead of thinking of parsley as a garnish for your plate, think of it as a breath mint after dinner. Pop it in and chew well for a quick breath pick-me-up.

The Indian restaurant breath mint — next time you dine out at an Indian restaurant look for the bowl of what looks like colorful tic tacs by the cash register. They're not. You're actually looking at candy coated fennel seeds. Keep some on hand as chewing on fennel seeds quickly reduces strong odors from your breath. No candy coating required.

This quick tip first appeared in the April 2011 issue of Get Healthy & Fit.

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