Everyone wants fresh breath. Because of this using mints, chewing gums, breath strips, and rinses has become a common practice. These products are all very effective in temporarily combating the bad breath that is caused by food. The best ones are sugar-free, as consuming sugar will only exacerbate the problem.

Breath fresheners only work temporarily, however, and are only a solution when other practices are unavailable. The best way to freshen breath is to kill the bacteria that cause bad breath in the first place. Unfortunately, we don't always have the time or opportunity to kill the bacteria, so we turn to these products. When you do have the time, there are a number of things you can do to freshen breath more consistently.

Various Ways to Freshen Breath

If you brush your teeth between meals you will remove the plaque from the surface of the teeth. Much of the odor causing bacteria is located in the plaque. Bacteria also build up on the surface of the tongue. Using a tongue scraper is a very effective way of removing the bacteria. If you can use an antiseptic mouthwash, that will also kill bacteria in the mouth that causes bad breath. At the very least, you should rinse your mouth with water after a meal to get rid of food particles that will linger and cause bad breath.

If breath fresheners are not your thing, but you don't have time to brush or floss during the day, you can take the more holistic approach. There are a number of herbs and spices that will naturally freshen breath. These include but are not limited to parsley, cloves, fennel, and anise seeds. Chewing on any of these can naturally remedy bad breath.