Last week, we covered a list of foods that cause bad breath. This week, the Preferred Dental team provides the antidote! Discover why certain foods cure bad breath and keep your friends around. Happy eating!
4 Foods that Cure Bad Breath… and Keep Your Friends Around
1) Lots and Lots of Water
OK, it’s not technically a food, but it’s a critical weapon in the war against bad breath. When you drink water, you flush the bacteria and lingering food bits out of your teeth, making it impossible for that bacteria to take root. Moreover, drinking water boosts production of saliva in your mouth, keeping everything fresh and clean.
2) Sugarless gum
Chewing a stick of gum after eating can help to free food particles and dead cells from your teeth, tongue, and gums. It can also help to increase saliva flow. This article from Popular Science explains the chemistry behind it– check it out! Just two tips for gum-chewing: 1) Stick to sugarless (remember what we said about sugary foods?). 2) Don’t recycle gum– find your own. ????
3) Red bell peppers and broccoli
Crunchy vegetable lovers of the world, unite! It turns out that crunchy produce like red bell peppers and broccoli can break food and bacteria free from their strongholds in your mouth. Since they’re mechanically abrasive, they don’t get along with the things that are trying to make your teeth a new home. One more reason to get your five servings a day!
4) Unsweetened Ice Tea.
Ever heard of antioxidants? They’re substances that stop oxidation and growth of bacteria, and tea is full of ‘em! Did you know that for centuries green tea leaves have been used as deodorants? In the same way that green tea leaves fend off funky odors, the chemicals in green tea work to destroy the growth of odor-causing bacteria in your mouth.
There you go– just a few of the surprising cures of bad breath! Put an end to halitosis by incorporating some of these foods into your diet on a regular basis. And be sure to stop back next week for more simple oral health advice!