What are some ERE-friendly ways to keep your breath fresh for the inevitable situations where we have to be around other people?
Brushing your teeth isn't always enough. I noticed that my breath smells worse when I haven't eaten in a while. I know some ERErs like the warrior diet, is this ever a problem?
Another answer is commonly that the mouth tends to smell worse when it is dry, so keeping hydrated is a solution.
I used to buy multi-packs of Tic Tac at the wholesale club. Gotta be careful about the sugar though. I'm currently using sugar-free Aldi-brand Icebreakers, which is not ideal due to the controversial ingredient aspartame. Going in the direction of extreme cheapness, I suppose you could rely on free mints from the bank. It would probably be more in the ERE spirit to make your own mints from scratch.
Some people like gum. I find it wasteful and inconvenient, as the pieces are individually wrapped and you have to spit the gum out later. Also, you're chewing on plastic.
More sustainable solutions would probably be to chew on mint leaves or parsley. However, I would probably find these inconvenient to carry and I would expect a much shorter shelf life. I want something portable and for occasional use.
So what do you do?
I'm also curious what the best solutions would be in terms of effectiveness, cost, health, sustainability, ERE-ness, etc.
ERE Breath Mints
Re: ERE Breath Mints
I'm following the Warrior Diet now, and honestly I think I had more cases of bad breath before I was on it. Usually my breath is pretty fresh, but when it isn't it's usually because:
- I've neglected flossing = smelly bacteria in my mouth
- Didn't brush my teeth (and tongue!) before bed and when I wake up = smelly bacteria in my mouth
- I didn't drink water throughout the day = smelly bacteria in my mouth
Personally, I've never found breath mints of any kind to be useful. Good alternatives I know of are an apple or an orange. Then parsley like you said.
- I've neglected flossing = smelly bacteria in my mouth
- Didn't brush my teeth (and tongue!) before bed and when I wake up = smelly bacteria in my mouth
- I didn't drink water throughout the day = smelly bacteria in my mouth
Personally, I've never found breath mints of any kind to be useful. Good alternatives I know of are an apple or an orange. Then parsley like you said.
Re: ERE Breath Mints
Drink more water is definitely the biggie. I've noticed that the times when G complains about my breath are the times I've let myself become dehydrated. So if you're not getting your 8 glasses a day, drink up.
Floss regularly, espcially if you don't go to the dentist every 6 months for formal cleanings.
If you're congested and can't breathe properly through your nose, make sure you attend to that. IME people who breathe through their mouth all the time tend to have worse breath.
Have you tried the dissolving strips, or those really strong breath drops? (I forget the names of both.) They would be portable, and probably fewer calories and sugar than gum or Tic Tacs.
Floss regularly, espcially if you don't go to the dentist every 6 months for formal cleanings.
If you're congested and can't breathe properly through your nose, make sure you attend to that. IME people who breathe through their mouth all the time tend to have worse breath.
Have you tried the dissolving strips, or those really strong breath drops? (I forget the names of both.) They would be portable, and probably fewer calories and sugar than gum or Tic Tacs.
Re: ERE Breath Mints
Here's a list: http://www.top10homeremedies.com/home-r ... reath.html
I've found that lemon juice helps a lot, because it doesn't just mask the odor, but kills bacteria so it works a lot longer. Works fine on its own, but eat some plain yogurt after it and its even more effective. Lemon juice is also good for your digestion, making your body less acidic and promoting healthy skin; although acidic itself, it creates a strong base when it goes through the gut.
I usually squeeze a whole lemon or lime into a glass of water and drink that every morning. Do it every day for a couple weeks and you'll probably sense a noticeable difference in the way you feel, especially if you've been feeling sluggish or unwell.
I've found that lemon juice helps a lot, because it doesn't just mask the odor, but kills bacteria so it works a lot longer. Works fine on its own, but eat some plain yogurt after it and its even more effective. Lemon juice is also good for your digestion, making your body less acidic and promoting healthy skin; although acidic itself, it creates a strong base when it goes through the gut.
I usually squeeze a whole lemon or lime into a glass of water and drink that every morning. Do it every day for a couple weeks and you'll probably sense a noticeable difference in the way you feel, especially if you've been feeling sluggish or unwell.
Re: ERE Breath Mints
As someone who suffers from random attacks of dog breath, I know where you are coming from.
The following method works fantastically for me. You will need:
- Some toothpaste, preferably something with a minty taste and a high fluoride content
- Some water
- Somewhere to spit the water out
- Some privacy
So basically, just bite about a pea-sized amount of toothpaste off and let it dissolve in your mouth. If your mouth is very dry, assist the dissolving by adding a bit of water. The toothpaste will dissolve into foam.
Now take some water and slosh and gargle the foam around your mouth for about a minute.
Spit the mixture out, then rinse your mouth out with water to get rid of any remaining foam.
This method is not quite as convenient as gum, but my attacks always happened at work, so I just kept toothpaste in my desk drawer and went off to the bathroom whenever some breath freshening was required.
The method does work very well, at least for me - it keeps my breath fresh for several hours. Gum and other mouth rinses only help for about 30 minutes, or they make the problem gradually worse.
Why does this method work? Well, the fluoride kills the bacteria making the smell while the mintyness freshens your breath.
(Another random use of toothpaste - the toothpaste brands I use tend to have intense minty smells. I smear a little bit on the inside of my rubbish bin bags. Now instead of the smell of rubbish, I get a blast of minty freshness every time I lift up the garbage can.)
In terms of long term strategies to reduce bad breath:
- Avoid B vitamins (they cause some people to have yeast breath)
- Avoid refined sugar (promotes bacterial growth in the mouth = more smell)
- Avoid acid drinks (soft drinks, fruit juices) - the acids causes erosion of the tooth surface, which gives bacteria nice homes to live in. Also, some mouth bacteria actually like acid environments.
- Brush properly. Get an oral hygienist to teach you how to brush if necessary.
- Rinse your mouth out with a mixture of salt, baking soda and water after toothbrushing. The sodium kills some bacteria (through dehydration due to osmotic effects) and the bicarbonate reduces the pH (less acid, which oral bacteria apparently don't like) and neutralises smells.
A slightly less ERE method, because it requires paying an expert, is to see an oral hygienist every 6 months; the least ERE method, is to see a dentist and get cavities and such treated where necessary.
The following method works fantastically for me. You will need:
- Some toothpaste, preferably something with a minty taste and a high fluoride content
- Some water
- Somewhere to spit the water out
- Some privacy
So basically, just bite about a pea-sized amount of toothpaste off and let it dissolve in your mouth. If your mouth is very dry, assist the dissolving by adding a bit of water. The toothpaste will dissolve into foam.
Now take some water and slosh and gargle the foam around your mouth for about a minute.
Spit the mixture out, then rinse your mouth out with water to get rid of any remaining foam.
This method is not quite as convenient as gum, but my attacks always happened at work, so I just kept toothpaste in my desk drawer and went off to the bathroom whenever some breath freshening was required.
The method does work very well, at least for me - it keeps my breath fresh for several hours. Gum and other mouth rinses only help for about 30 minutes, or they make the problem gradually worse.
Why does this method work? Well, the fluoride kills the bacteria making the smell while the mintyness freshens your breath.
(Another random use of toothpaste - the toothpaste brands I use tend to have intense minty smells. I smear a little bit on the inside of my rubbish bin bags. Now instead of the smell of rubbish, I get a blast of minty freshness every time I lift up the garbage can.)
In terms of long term strategies to reduce bad breath:
- Avoid B vitamins (they cause some people to have yeast breath)
- Avoid refined sugar (promotes bacterial growth in the mouth = more smell)
- Avoid acid drinks (soft drinks, fruit juices) - the acids causes erosion of the tooth surface, which gives bacteria nice homes to live in. Also, some mouth bacteria actually like acid environments.
- Brush properly. Get an oral hygienist to teach you how to brush if necessary.
- Rinse your mouth out with a mixture of salt, baking soda and water after toothbrushing. The sodium kills some bacteria (through dehydration due to osmotic effects) and the bicarbonate reduces the pH (less acid, which oral bacteria apparently don't like) and neutralises smells.
A slightly less ERE method, because it requires paying an expert, is to see an oral hygienist every 6 months; the least ERE method, is to see a dentist and get cavities and such treated where necessary.