What can we do to avoid bad breath?

Halitosis or bad breath is produced, generally, by an excess of bacteria in our mouth, the deterioration of teeth, jaws or any part of the oral cavity. In some cases, halitosis can appear as a consequence of the existence of an illness, even if this existence has no direct relation with halitosis.

It is very important to maintain a good hygiene to eradicate the proliferation of bacterial plaque and one of the main roles is the alimentation. Here you have the top 10 foods:

• Apple, carrot, pear, watermelon, kiwi or celery are in this list. This kind of product help eliminating the residue left between teeth after eating. Apple for example, is one of the richest chlorophyll foods, so that, it acts as a natural dentifrice.
• Cheese, mainly cheddar, equilibrates our Ph. Roquefort or camembert cheeses provoke a disgusting breath. The Ph. of our mouth is normally neutral, it means that the Ph. scale is 7, if the Ph. in our mouth is above 7 it means we have problems with the stomach acidity or oral dryness.

• Yogurt reduces the amount of hydrogen sulphide present in the mouth which is one of the causes of bad breath.
• Ginger, eaten in small pieces, neutralizes odour that our mouth generates when we eat.
  Aromatic herbs such as parsley, eucalyptus, Rosemary, mint or basil help to balance the effect of foods that provoke bad breath like garlic or onion.
• Citric acid (orange, lemon, mandarin or grapefruit) helps increasing our saliva flow.

• Eating slowly is always better; a good mastication avoids the fermentation of foods.
• Water is the source of life. El agua, es la fuente de la vida. If you want to fight against halitosis it is recommended to drink at least two litres each day. If you keep your mouth hydrated the oral dryness that provokes bad breath, will decrease. Stress also provokes the decrease in salivary flow.
• Chew one or two coffee beans after eating helps the proliferation of bacteria in our mouth. However, having coffee in a cup with milk has exactly the opposite effect, it means, bacteria prolife increasing the chances of having bad breath. Because of this reason, if you feel like drinking coffee, it has to be plain.

Just a small portion of people have a severe bad breath; despite it can get strong in some moments of the day. A good way to avoid having bad breath is the use of antiseptic mouthwash daily, clean the gaps with dental floss and brush our teeth not forgetting our tongue. Last but not least, do not forget to visit the dentist to get a deep cleaning, eliminate tartar and discard the beginning of any periodontal or any other pathology.