While an apple a day can keep the doctor away, an onion a day keeps everyone away. Isn’t that true? Bad breath, in this case caused by the onion, is enough to put anyone off the radar for you.
However, the most ironic thing about having a bad breath issue is that it cannot be diagnosed easily since the person having it cannot feel it.
What Really Causes a Bad Breath?
There are many reasons that cause bad mouth odour and one can certainly improve the condition by just avoiding the causes. Poor oral hygiene, gingivitis, certain food habits, indigestion, smoking and alcohol-like habits are the most likely causes of bad breath or bad mouth odour. Apart from that, fever and upper respiratory tract infections may also cause bad breath.
Health Shots spoke to Dr Manisha Mishra Goswami, Medical Advisor, Charak Pharma, and she mentioned an interesting fact about bad breath. “Our mouth odour indicates digestive health. In simple words, if you have poor digestion or suffer from indigestion complaints, you might have more chances of getting a bad mouth odour,” she says.
How Can Ayurveda Help in Preventing Bad Breath?
Dr Goswami cites 3 simple ways to prevent this:
1. Keep your digestion optimal
Make sure you have good bowel movements every day. Chewing food for a longer time and having healthy meals when you are hungry keeps your digestion healthy. Also, food items such as dairy products, onions, garlic, meat, and dry seafood should be avoided to prevent bad mouth odour. According to Ayurveda, consuming hot or warm water post meals aids digestion.
2. Maintain your oral hygiene
Brushing your teeth is extremely important to maintain good oral hygiene. There are maximum chances that food particles left in between in your teeth may decay if you don’t brush regularly, thereby causing bad mouth odour. The plaque in your teeth also contains bacteria which can damage the teeth and produce foul smell from the mouth. Hence, brushing your teeth twice daily is very important.
3. Gargling after you wake up
“Gargling with lukewarm salty water is one of the best ways to treat bad breath. Just like the warm water improves your digestion, gargling with warm water helps remove unnecessary bacteria and hidden food particles from the mouth. It helps in maintaining good oral hygiene and also prevents bad mouth odour. “Ayurveda recommends oil pulling as a part of oral hygiene, which not only prevents bad breath and keeps your teeth and gums healthy, but also erases wrinkles and fine lines,” adds Dr Goswami.
