11 All-Natural Ways To Keep Stinky Breath Under Control

Most of the time, bad breath is related to oral hygiene, meaning you might not be brushing and flossing your teeth well enough or often enough.

Little chunks of food then get stuck in your teeth and give off a horrible smell while your mouth breaks down the food.

Brushing, flossing, and using mouthwash can help with bad breath that stems from oral hygiene.

If you notice that your bad breath doesn't go away with better oral hygiene, you may have something more serious going on, including tonsil issues, stomach reflux, sinus infections, lung infections, and liver and kidney diseases, explains WebMD.

The most important thing to do when trying to remedy bad breath is follow your dentist's advice.

Generally speaking, you should brush your teeth twice a day, floss once a day, and regularly visit your dentist.

Outside of traditional oral hygiene methods, there are other solutions for getting rid of your smelly breath.

One really simple way to remedy bad breath is eating crunchy, raw foods.

According to Amy Rothenberg, president of the Massachusetts Society of Naturopathic Doctors, you should increase the raw foods in the diet — especially things like celery, apples and carrots.

"It helps to scrape the plaque buildup and fights bacteria buildup in the mouth."

This may come as a surprise, but yogurt is a great solution for fixing bad breath.

The reason yogurt works well on bad breath is because of the probiotics in it.

Because bad breath is caused by bacteria, many people use mouthwash to kill the bacteria.

The problem is that mouthwash kills all the bacteria, including the good bacteria.

WebMD explains that by eating foods with probiotics, like yogurt, sauerkraut, and miso, you can increase the good bacteria in your mouth, which will give you better breath.

When your mouth is dry, your breath will probably not smell so great.

Drinking water will help you fight dry mouth, which will lead to better smelling breath.

Additionally, Top 10 Home Remedies explains that after eating a meal, you should swish water around your mouth to loosen up the food particles that are stuck in your teeth.

When you have bad breath, you might immediately pop in a stick of gum.

It seems like gum would just mask the smell of bad breath, but it can actually do so much more.

According to WebMD, chewing sugar-free gum can help your mouth produce more saliva and fight the growth of bad bacteria.

There are a variety of herbs and spices that you can eat to alleviate bad breath — one of the best is parsley.

Two simple ways to use parsley to freshen your breath include chewing on a fresh sprig, and putting parsley through a juicer to sip on throughout the day.

If you're having a particularly busy day, it can be easy to skip a meal and not think twice about it.

But Best Health explains that you shouldn't skip meals if you want your breath to smell good.

Like drinking water, eating regular meals keeps your mouth from drying out, which helps keep bacteria from growing.

If you don't have access to anything (like if you're in a business meeting or stuck in your car on a road trip), you can refresh your breath with just your tongue and your teeth.

Best Health says your tongue can hold onto bacteria that make your mouth smell bad, so you should scrape your tongue on your teeth vigorously to dislodge this bacteria.

Rinsing with apple cider vinegar is an easy remedy for bad breath.

Apple cider vinegar has pH balancing effects, which helps neutralize bad breath.

According to Top 10 Home Remedies, you can either gargle with an apple cider vinegar and water mixture, or you can drink an apple vinegar and water solution (one Tbsp. raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar in a cup of water).

Baking soda is another substance that helps balance acid levels in your mouth. It also fights oral bacteria.

In order to use baking soda to remedy bad breath, try one of the following:

• brush your teeth with baking soda to reduce acid in your mouth
• mix 1/2 tsp. in a glass of warm water and use it as a once-daily rinse

Tea tree oil is an antiseptic that acts like a disinfectant in your mouth. There are a few ways to use tea tree oil effectively:

• brush your teeth with a toothpaste made with tea tree oil
• add a few drops of tea tree oil to your toothbrush along with your normal toothpaste
• mix a few drops of peppermint oil, lemon oil, and tea tree oil with a cup of water to use as mouthwash

Black, green, and herbal teas can all help combat bad breath. In green tea and black tea, there are antioxidants that can stop bad bacteria from growing in your mouth.

Top 10 Home Remedies explains that certain herbs, like sage, can also help keep your breath fresh.

Bad breath is problematic, but it's easy to fix! If you try the above home remedies and find that none of them fix your bad breath, it may be time to consult a doctor or dentist to see if you have any underlying problems.

Are there any bad breath home remedies that we missed? Let us know in the comments below!

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