Post by Arun Nagrath on Nov 3, 2011 20:07:32 GMT
From Archive 19/01/09
anewstart
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 2
What do you use to freshen your breath?
1) Instead of mints and gum which may make our breath worse,
what other products can we use when we are on the go and not
home?
2) What are some good products to use at home? Arun and Maria, what
toothpaste and/or mouthwash do you use? Has anyone used Biotene?
#2
19th January 2009
yolievrdrmn
Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 76
Blog Entries: 3
RE: What do you use to freshen your breath?
Therabreath plus mouth spray works for me. The other products in that line don't seem to do anything for me. I've tried all kinds of other mints, etc.
#3
19th January 2009
William
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 249
RE: What do you use to freshen your breath?
Quote:
Originally Posted by anewstart
1) Instead of mints and gum which may make our breath worse,
what other products can we use when we are on the go and not
home?
2) What are some good products to use at home? Arun and Maria, what
toothpaste and/or mouthwash do you use? Has anyone used Biotene?
Along with brushing 2 to 3 times a day; drinking 8 to 12 glasses a day is essential for keeping moisture in your mouth. A dry mouth contributes to bad breath. Also, eating fresh fruits, vegetables, and avoiding excessive processed foods will keep your breath smelling great. This is a proven fact. Gum and mints only disguise your breath.
#4
19th January 2009
Sharon
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 230
Blog Entries: 9
RE: What do you use to freshen your breath?
I tried Profresh, Biotene, Crest Pro Health and most over the counter products. I even made my own using baking soda, glycerin and peppermit oil followed by a 1/2 peroxide rinse. Therabreath lasts the longest for me but if you want to save money use the homemade mix.
A recent study was released where Wrigley's Eclipse gum with magnolia bark kills mouth germs for several hours. That is the only gum I am trying and use it in between.
Besides Therabreath and flossing, tongue scrapping is so important and needs to be done often. It is a lot of work but worth the effort. This routine is 2-3x a day and takes awhile before the bacteria and coating are gone. If you slack off and miss a day then forget it it you are back at square one.
#5
21st January 2009
mpdela
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Miami, Florida
Posts: 1,350
Blog Entries: 3
RE: What do you use to freshen your breath?
Hi anewstart,
When I went to the Thames Festival in London, I had a long interesting talk with Arun about halitosis. He is indeed the authority on this. So is Sharon with her extensive experience and research. One of the things Arun explained about halitosis, in addition to the metabolic causes, is that it involves a bacterial overgrowth in the dorsum (back part) of the tongue. Weve also had this discussion with Arun in past conference calls. Arun highly recommends tongue scraping as do Sharon and I. First scrape, then brush your teeth and tongue with any toothpaste I guess. Arun also recommends putting a few drops of lemon juice on the back of the tongue right before going to sleep. Avoid getting the lemon on your teeth as much as possible. You can also try white vinegar that is also very acidic.
We just happen to use Colgate or Crest in my house. Periodically, my sons rinse with over-the-counter Orajel anti-bacterial bleeding gum rinse that contains cetylpyridinium chloride 01%, afterwards. This whole treatment seems to work for a while, but the halitosis comes back if the tongue scraping is discontinued. When my younger son had his wisdom teeth extracted, the doctor prescribed chlorhexidine gluconate 0.12% oral rinse, and we noticed that this takes away the bad breath as well. They try not to use it but a couple of times a year for about a week at a time rinsing about 3 times a day.
I've never tried any of the other products recommended in this forum, but I trust they work for others, so they must be good.
It seems that as the pH increases in the saliva, the more off-balanced the normal microbial balance in your tongue gets, resulting the higher the levels of a malodorous bacterial overgrowth of Bacteroides, Fusobacteria spp., Peptococcus, and Peptostreptococcus, to name a few. It is very difficult to restore a healthy microbial balance if your saliva pH is too high. Mostly, you can only minimize bad breath by trying to bring down the pH (make it more acidic) with the proper diet that controls your metabolic condition.
Arun, as well as Sharon and I, are strong believers of tongue scraping because it results in longer lasting reduction of volatile sulfur compounds (VSC). Here's some other info on the role of the dorsum tongue scraping
#6
31st January 2009
scientist42
Site Owner
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: London
Posts: 725
RE: What do you use to freshen your breath?
Hi Anewstart,
Sorry it took me a while to reply but I am currently in the 2nd month of a 4 month vacation in Asia, currently in Langkawi, Malaysia (previously in Thailand for 6 weeks).
I am on my way to Kuala Lumpur to meet a fellow Group member to look at (and hopefully video) the effects of surgical removal of his underarm sweat glands on his odour. He also had a tongue coating like many of us.
Yes, I fully agree with Sharon and Maria on the benefits of tongue scraping. Tongue scraping is essential for those who have a prominent coating, I would suggest scraping twice a day at least.
The reason I know this for sure is that I have taken a sample of tongue scraping, this contained saliva and a creamy tongue coating. I centrifuged the saliva so the top layer was pure saliva and the separated bottom layer was just the tongue coating alone. Guess which was the smelly one when I asked 3 people to smell these two layers? It was the creamy/ slimy tongue coating!
Furthermore, as this sediment dried out the odour increased in orders of magnitude! The moist sediment wasn't that smelly, but upon drying the odour was hugely icreased!
Now, I would encourage others to do the same so that we can confirm for sure that the odour is largely coming from the dried tongue scrapings.
In terms of treatment, my initial suggestion is to try varying the pH of the tongue as this affects the odour. Fist try brushing the tongue with an alkali such as sodium bicarbonate powder. If this doesn't help, try scraping the tongue then chewing something with an acidic pH instead (eg chewable ascorbic acid tablets (vitamin C ).
Please teake your time, these initial treatments are cheap. Let us know your findings.
In 6 months from now I hope to produce a protocol for drug/dietary treatment of halitosis. This will be the result of feedback from at least 120 group members on what helped them. Then I can give you something more scientifically proven.
Arun
#7
2nd February 2009
mindy22
Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 5
RE: What do you use to freshen your breath?
Quote:
Originally Posted by anewstart
1) Instead of mints and gum which may make our breath worse,
what other products can we use when we are on the go and not
home?
2) What are some good products to use at home? Arun and Maria, what
toothpaste and/or mouthwash do you use? Has anyone used Biotene?
Gargles with Hydrogen poeroxide will kill old bacteria in your mouth and throat leaving you with a fresh, clear breath. Do it every week and no more bad breath.
Gargles with Hydrogen Peroxide will kill old bacteria in your mouth and throat leaving you with a fresh, clear breath.
#8
4th February 2009
scientist42
Site Owner
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: London
Posts: 725
RE: What do you use to freshen your breath?
Yes, I agree,
Some people find gargling with peroxide (AFTER scraping the tongue) helps. In my opinion it is as effective as the various expensive chlorine dioxide based products promoted by dentists at their Fresh Breath Clinics. Yet, it is a fraction of the price.
Arun
#9
24th February 2009
nowiknowtmau
Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 46
RE: What do you use to freshen your breath?
I started using something i got from the dentist office. It's expensive, but it's working a bit. It's the oxyfresh kit. But i bought it. Also make sure you do your regular cleanings helps alot. And stay away from chesse and sugar.
oxyfresh.com/dental/default.asp
#10
24th February 2009
Sharon
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 230
Blog Entries: 9
RE: What do you use to freshen your breath?
Jess,
I forgot I tried it a long time ago before I knew what I was doing. I stopped the oral care by Oxyfresh but I still use their Cleansing gele at night to wash my face, underarms and privates. Recently I forgot to buy it online and the underarm odor did seem to return.
I like the oxygenated products and may try the oral ones again. I stuck with Therabreath because it was cheaper and I could buy it at stores like Walmart. It's oxygenated also. Do you buy it from your dentist?
Hey they are looking for a sales rep. Anyone interested in making a little money? If I had the time I would sell it for cost to people here.
#11
24th February 2009
hope4us
Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Allen, TX
Posts: 346
RE: What do you use to freshen your breath?
Anewstart,
Between Sharon, Maria, Arun, and the others you have gotten some great information here. I won't add to their suggestions, since they are the experts. I have been using products that contain a lot of sugar, but I will read the above posts to change that.
Thanks for bringing up the topic.
Glenna
__________________
“You must not think that I am unhappy. What is happiness and unhappiness? It depends so little on the circumstances; it depends really only on that which happens inside a person.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer ( 1906-1945)
#12
29th March 2009
maggie
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 8
RE: question for Arun
Hi Arun
My chewable vit c only makes reference to 'stearic acid' in the ingredients and 'acetic acid' in the flavouring. Is this the same as what you are referring to below?
maggs :huh:
Quote:
Originally Posted by scientist42
Hi Anewstart,
Sorry it took me a while to reply but I am currently in the 2nd month of a 4 month vacation in Asia, currently in Langkawi, Malaysia (previously in Thailand for 6 weeks).
I am on my way to Kuala Lumpur to meet a fellow Group member to look at (and hopefully video) the effects of surgical removal of his underarm sweat glands on his odour. He also had a tongue coating like many of us.
Yes, I fully agree with Sharon and Maria on the benefits of tongue scraping. Tongue scraping is essential for those who have a prominent coating, I would suggest scraping twice a day at least.
The reason I know this for sure is that I have taken a sample of tongue scraping, this contained saliva and a creamy tongue coating. I centrifuged the saliva so the top layer was pure saliva and the separated bottom layer was just the tongue coating alone. Guess which was the smelly one when I asked 3 people to smell these two layers? It was the creamy/ slimy tongue coating!
Furthermore, as this sediment dried out the odour increased in orders of magnitude! The moist sediment wasn't that smelly, but upon drying the odour was hugely icreased!
Now, I would encourage others to do the same so that we can confirm for sure that the odour is largely coming from the dried tongue scrapings.
In terms of treatment, my initial suggestion is to try varying the pH of the tongue as this affects the odour. Fist try brushing the tongue with an alkali such as sodium bicarbonate powder. If this doesn't help, try scraping the tongue then chewing something with an acidic pH instead (eg chewable ascorbic acid tablets (vitamin C ).
Please teake your time, these initial treatments are cheap. Let us know your findings.
In 6 months from now I hope to produce a protocol for drug/dietary treatment of halitosis. This will be the result of feedback from at least 120 group members on what helped them. Then I can give you something more scientifically proven.
Arun
#13
8th June 2009
scientist42
Site Owner
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: London
Posts: 725
RE: question for Arun
Hi Maggs,
Sorry I never saw your message earlier. I wasn't trying to ignore you, honestly!
I think messages get missed like this because there are so many subforums, well that is the feedback we have got from members.
We are acting on this feedback and this site will have a drastically reduced number of forums (in roughly a month from now).
Maggs, the stearic acid and acetic acid are merely excipients that bind the tablet together. They do affect the pH but the actual active ingredient is ascorbic acid (this is the scientific name for vitamin C)
Arun
Quote:
Originally Posted by maggie
Hi Arun
My chewable vit c only makes reference to 'stearic acid' in the ingredients and 'acetic acid' in the flavouring. Is this the same as what you are referring to below?
maggs :huh:
Quote:
Originally Posted by scientist42
Hi Anewstart,
Sorry it took me a while to reply but I am currently in the 2nd month of a 4 month vacation in Asia, currently in Langkawi, Malaysia (previously in Thailand for 6 weeks).
I am on my way to Kuala Lumpur to meet a fellow Group member to look at (and hopefully video) the effects of surgical removal of his underarm sweat glands on his odour. He also had a tongue coating like many of us.
Yes, I fully agree with Sharon and Maria on the benefits of tongue scraping. Tongue scraping is essential for those who have a prominent coating, I would suggest scraping twice a day at least.
The reason I know this for sure is that I have taken a sample of tongue scraping, this contained saliva and a creamy tongue coating. I centrifuged the saliva so the top layer was pure saliva and the separated bottom layer was just the tongue coating alone. Guess which was the smelly one when I asked 3 people to smell these two layers? It was the creamy/ slimy tongue coating!
Furthermore, as this sediment dried out the odour increased in orders of magnitude! The moist sediment wasn't that smelly, but upon drying the odour was hugely icreased!
Now, I would encourage others to do the same so that we can confirm for sure that the odour is largely coming from the dried tongue scrapings.
In terms of treatment, my initial suggestion is to try varying the pH of the tongue as this affects the odour. Fist try brushing the tongue with an alkali such as sodium bicarbonate powder. If this doesn't help, try scraping the tongue then chewing something with an acidic pH instead (eg chewable ascorbic acid tablets (vitamin C ).
Please teake your time, these initial treatments are cheap. Let us know your findings.
In 6 months from now I hope to produce a protocol for drug/dietary treatment of halitosis. This will be the result of feedback from at least 120 group members on what helped them. Then I can give you something more scientifically proven.
Arun
#14
31st December 2009
vilenin89
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 174
Re: What do you use to freshen your breath?
I know that most of the bad breath bacteria might thrive in an alkaline environment, but i heard that acidic things should be avoided throughout the day and the PH should try to be kept pretty neutral.
#15
1st January 2010
looking4answers
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 119
Blog Entries: 1
Re: What do you use to freshen your breath?
Yes isn't that interesting, because a completely balanced PH in our bodies is very good for us. Disease is not possible in a body that has it's PH balance correct. And foods that are more alkaline than acidic help lessen any kind of inflammation we may have in our bodies and generally help us feel better. It is hard for me to wrap my head around acidity being good for bacteria. Maybe Arun could explain that better.
cc
scientist42
Site Owner
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: London
Posts: 725
Re: What do you use to freshen your breath?
Hmmm acidity affects a number of factors:-
1 bacterial replication
2 equilibrium of release of smelly substances
3 activity of lysozyme (antimicrobial enzyme in saliva)
I have heard some say that an acid ph helps them eg sucking on vitamin c tablets (ascorbic acid). Others say alkaline envonment helps eg brushing the tongue with bicarbonate (or gargling). Some say neutral pH is best. I wonder if anyone really knows for sure because there are several factors (see above)
Arun
#17
2nd April 2010
quest777
funkychic
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Funkytown
Posts: 7
Blog Entries: 1
Re: What do you use to freshen your breath?
This might help my mom has halitosis and she used cinnamon oil to rinse her mouth and it indeed helped her.
#18
3rd April 2010
markymark
Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 36
Re: What do you use to freshen your breath?
Drink freshly squeezed ginger juice. Like 300ml or so which would create a burning sensation in your mouth and throat. Thus killing bacteria to a certain extent, then top it off with some mint or spinach juice. Works like a charm!
Something new but i figured it works for me.
#19
4th April 2010
mpdela
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Miami, Florida
Posts: 1,350
Blog Entries: 3
Tongue scraping and halitosis management
This is such an important post for halitosis, that I just thought it should be brought up to the top again. Thanks Arun, for sharing this with us.
María
Quote:
Originally Posted by scientist42
Hi Anewstart,
...Yes, I fully agree with Sharon and Maria on the benefits of tongue scraping. Tongue scraping is essential for those who have a prominent coating, I would suggest scraping twice a day at least.
The reason I know this for sure is that I have taken a sample of tongue scraping, this contained saliva and a creamy tongue coating. I centrifuged the saliva so the top layer was pure saliva and the separated bottom layer was just the tongue coating alone. Guess which was the smelly one when I asked 3 people to smell these two layers? It was the creamy/ slimy tongue coating!
Furthermore, as this sediment dried out the odour increased in orders of magnitude! The moist sediment wasn't that smelly, but upon drying the odour was hugely icreased!
Now, I would encourage others to do the same so that we can confirm for sure that the odour is largely coming from the dried tongue scrapings.
In terms of treatment, my initial suggestion is to try varying the pH of the tongue as this affects the odour. Fist try brushing the tongue with an alkali such as sodium bicarbonate powder. If this doesn't help, try scraping the tongue then chewing something with an acidic pH instead (eg chewable ascorbic acid tablets (vitamin C ).
Please teake your time, these initial treatments are cheap. Let us know your findings.
In 6 months from now I hope to produce a protocol for drug/dietary treatment of halitosis. This will be the result of feedback from at least 120 group members on what helped them. Then I can give you something more scientifically proven.
Arun
#20
12th April 2010
scientist42
Site Owner
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: London
Posts: 725
Re: What do you use to freshen your breath?
Yes thankyou guys for sharing your tips with us
Arun
#21
3rd May 2010
julia
Junior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: rockford
Posts: 13
Blog Entries: 1
Re: What do you use to freshen your breath?
xylitol gum
#22
6th May 2010
julia
Junior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: rockford
Posts: 13
Blog Entries: 1
Re: What do you use to freshen your breath?
chlorhexidine gluconate oral rinse
#23
16th July 2010
blksexy65
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Savannah
Posts: 11
Re: What do you use to freshen your breath?
Do it help?
#24
17th September 2010
JaySmith
Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Keller
Posts: 1
Re: What do you use to freshen your breath?
Quote:
Originally Posted by blksexy65
Do it help?
Ya it does Blksexy. I do it all the time. I scrap my tounge with a butterknife. Sometimes I will vigorously scrape my skin with a butterknife too. I feel like I get all the dead skin cells off like that. It's nice.
#25
21st September 2010
Wendycori
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Cincinnati
Posts: 103
Re: What do you use to freshen your breath?
I got a stainless steel scraper from Whole Foods. I have found out something different than I think I've seen posted here. I have digestion problems and I was told the white coating could be from poor digestion. Ever since I've been taking digestive enzymes my white coating is waaaayyyy down. I take the stomach acid pills (I forget the chemical name?) and then another digestion pill with all the amylase, etc. in it, and I scrape. I think the digestion pills help a lot!
#26
4th November 2010
jump4joy
Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 52
Re: What do you use to freshen your breath?
I scrape and i use biotene toothpaste (i have a very dry mouth, anxiety and health related) and put a couple of tea tree drops on my toothbrush for germs, but i always find my BB worse after i've scraped like i'm exposing my bad breath.
I always rinse and gargle with hydrogen peroxide and also have a homemade nasal spray with hydrogen peroxide, bicarb, sea salt and distilled water which i spray twice a day.
I have recently been thinking though that although hydrogen kills bad bacteria this means it will also kill good and my good is not being replaced, so i have just started yesterday eating a couple of spoonfuls of live yoghurt after i do my hydrogen gargle...early days yet but hope i see a difference.
I also eat cloves or chew them whenever i have to go anywhere, mints and gum make mine worse. they burn a bit but i actually quite like that
Yesterday i had to go to the dentist I've not been for 2 years as just could not face it but i have broken a tooth and filling...feel sorry for my dentist, now that is torture for me and her. I try not to breathe at all, very hard.
K12-blis is supposed to be good but very expensive, has anyone had good experiences with it?
#27
3rd March 2011
Smellyoulater2
Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Chicago
Posts: 44
Re: What do you use to freshen your breath?
My dentist told me to gargle with luke warm water and table salt. He said to do this when ever you feel like you have bad breath. It seems to work well for me. Hope this helps.
#28
8th March 2011
Wish
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 18
Re: What do you use to freshen your breath?
I use trident gum with xyletol.This is the only gum that doesn't make my breath stink.I guess it is because it is made of xyletol.I use colgate and mouth wash.My problem is if I don't drink enough water,I will have bad breath.But taking probiotics in double dose makes my breath ok.But not the other odor coming fromother parts.
#29
14th March 2011
TheKakuroMaster
Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Orlando
Posts: 13
Re: What do you use to freshen your breath?
Yeah, I was first led on to Biotene by my mother. I was using regular mouthwash, and Crest toothpaste a few times a day for my mouth care. I started to pay more attention to my oral hygiene because I read once as to how diabetics, like me, are more prone to developing periodontal disease and other mouth conditions. However, this wasn't doing much to fight a halitosis problem I developed. It seemed that everytime I would eat or drink anything sugary I would almost immediately develop a sour breath smell. I was at a loss to understand why until I read into Biotene and how it was a good product for people who take medications chronically. I am currently taking both Metformin for diabetes and Lisinopril for hypertension and they must have been causing my mouth to become overly dry. I bought some of the Biotene gum, mouthwash, spray, and toothpaste. I noticed a reduction in the bad-breath smell if I used the products on a regular basis. Maybe you will too if you are taking medications long-term for medical problems. I do warn you that the products are more expensive than the average oral-care products but they do seem to work. It might be worth the try. Just a word of advice.
anewstart
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 2
What do you use to freshen your breath?
1) Instead of mints and gum which may make our breath worse,
what other products can we use when we are on the go and not
home?
2) What are some good products to use at home? Arun and Maria, what
toothpaste and/or mouthwash do you use? Has anyone used Biotene?
#2
19th January 2009
yolievrdrmn
Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 76
Blog Entries: 3
RE: What do you use to freshen your breath?
Therabreath plus mouth spray works for me. The other products in that line don't seem to do anything for me. I've tried all kinds of other mints, etc.
#3
19th January 2009
William
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 249
RE: What do you use to freshen your breath?
Quote:
Originally Posted by anewstart
1) Instead of mints and gum which may make our breath worse,
what other products can we use when we are on the go and not
home?
2) What are some good products to use at home? Arun and Maria, what
toothpaste and/or mouthwash do you use? Has anyone used Biotene?
Along with brushing 2 to 3 times a day; drinking 8 to 12 glasses a day is essential for keeping moisture in your mouth. A dry mouth contributes to bad breath. Also, eating fresh fruits, vegetables, and avoiding excessive processed foods will keep your breath smelling great. This is a proven fact. Gum and mints only disguise your breath.
#4
19th January 2009
Sharon
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 230
Blog Entries: 9
RE: What do you use to freshen your breath?
I tried Profresh, Biotene, Crest Pro Health and most over the counter products. I even made my own using baking soda, glycerin and peppermit oil followed by a 1/2 peroxide rinse. Therabreath lasts the longest for me but if you want to save money use the homemade mix.
A recent study was released where Wrigley's Eclipse gum with magnolia bark kills mouth germs for several hours. That is the only gum I am trying and use it in between.
Besides Therabreath and flossing, tongue scrapping is so important and needs to be done often. It is a lot of work but worth the effort. This routine is 2-3x a day and takes awhile before the bacteria and coating are gone. If you slack off and miss a day then forget it it you are back at square one.
#5
21st January 2009
mpdela
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Miami, Florida
Posts: 1,350
Blog Entries: 3
RE: What do you use to freshen your breath?
Hi anewstart,
When I went to the Thames Festival in London, I had a long interesting talk with Arun about halitosis. He is indeed the authority on this. So is Sharon with her extensive experience and research. One of the things Arun explained about halitosis, in addition to the metabolic causes, is that it involves a bacterial overgrowth in the dorsum (back part) of the tongue. Weve also had this discussion with Arun in past conference calls. Arun highly recommends tongue scraping as do Sharon and I. First scrape, then brush your teeth and tongue with any toothpaste I guess. Arun also recommends putting a few drops of lemon juice on the back of the tongue right before going to sleep. Avoid getting the lemon on your teeth as much as possible. You can also try white vinegar that is also very acidic.
We just happen to use Colgate or Crest in my house. Periodically, my sons rinse with over-the-counter Orajel anti-bacterial bleeding gum rinse that contains cetylpyridinium chloride 01%, afterwards. This whole treatment seems to work for a while, but the halitosis comes back if the tongue scraping is discontinued. When my younger son had his wisdom teeth extracted, the doctor prescribed chlorhexidine gluconate 0.12% oral rinse, and we noticed that this takes away the bad breath as well. They try not to use it but a couple of times a year for about a week at a time rinsing about 3 times a day.
I've never tried any of the other products recommended in this forum, but I trust they work for others, so they must be good.
It seems that as the pH increases in the saliva, the more off-balanced the normal microbial balance in your tongue gets, resulting the higher the levels of a malodorous bacterial overgrowth of Bacteroides, Fusobacteria spp., Peptococcus, and Peptostreptococcus, to name a few. It is very difficult to restore a healthy microbial balance if your saliva pH is too high. Mostly, you can only minimize bad breath by trying to bring down the pH (make it more acidic) with the proper diet that controls your metabolic condition.
Arun, as well as Sharon and I, are strong believers of tongue scraping because it results in longer lasting reduction of volatile sulfur compounds (VSC). Here's some other info on the role of the dorsum tongue scraping
#6
31st January 2009
scientist42
Site Owner
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: London
Posts: 725
RE: What do you use to freshen your breath?
Hi Anewstart,
Sorry it took me a while to reply but I am currently in the 2nd month of a 4 month vacation in Asia, currently in Langkawi, Malaysia (previously in Thailand for 6 weeks).
I am on my way to Kuala Lumpur to meet a fellow Group member to look at (and hopefully video) the effects of surgical removal of his underarm sweat glands on his odour. He also had a tongue coating like many of us.
Yes, I fully agree with Sharon and Maria on the benefits of tongue scraping. Tongue scraping is essential for those who have a prominent coating, I would suggest scraping twice a day at least.
The reason I know this for sure is that I have taken a sample of tongue scraping, this contained saliva and a creamy tongue coating. I centrifuged the saliva so the top layer was pure saliva and the separated bottom layer was just the tongue coating alone. Guess which was the smelly one when I asked 3 people to smell these two layers? It was the creamy/ slimy tongue coating!
Furthermore, as this sediment dried out the odour increased in orders of magnitude! The moist sediment wasn't that smelly, but upon drying the odour was hugely icreased!
Now, I would encourage others to do the same so that we can confirm for sure that the odour is largely coming from the dried tongue scrapings.
In terms of treatment, my initial suggestion is to try varying the pH of the tongue as this affects the odour. Fist try brushing the tongue with an alkali such as sodium bicarbonate powder. If this doesn't help, try scraping the tongue then chewing something with an acidic pH instead (eg chewable ascorbic acid tablets (vitamin C ).
Please teake your time, these initial treatments are cheap. Let us know your findings.
In 6 months from now I hope to produce a protocol for drug/dietary treatment of halitosis. This will be the result of feedback from at least 120 group members on what helped them. Then I can give you something more scientifically proven.
Arun
#7
2nd February 2009
mindy22
Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 5
RE: What do you use to freshen your breath?
Quote:
Originally Posted by anewstart
1) Instead of mints and gum which may make our breath worse,
what other products can we use when we are on the go and not
home?
2) What are some good products to use at home? Arun and Maria, what
toothpaste and/or mouthwash do you use? Has anyone used Biotene?
Gargles with Hydrogen poeroxide will kill old bacteria in your mouth and throat leaving you with a fresh, clear breath. Do it every week and no more bad breath.
Gargles with Hydrogen Peroxide will kill old bacteria in your mouth and throat leaving you with a fresh, clear breath.
#8
4th February 2009
scientist42
Site Owner
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: London
Posts: 725
RE: What do you use to freshen your breath?
Yes, I agree,
Some people find gargling with peroxide (AFTER scraping the tongue) helps. In my opinion it is as effective as the various expensive chlorine dioxide based products promoted by dentists at their Fresh Breath Clinics. Yet, it is a fraction of the price.
Arun
#9
24th February 2009
nowiknowtmau
Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 46
RE: What do you use to freshen your breath?
I started using something i got from the dentist office. It's expensive, but it's working a bit. It's the oxyfresh kit. But i bought it. Also make sure you do your regular cleanings helps alot. And stay away from chesse and sugar.
oxyfresh.com/dental/default.asp
#10
24th February 2009
Sharon
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 230
Blog Entries: 9
RE: What do you use to freshen your breath?
Jess,
I forgot I tried it a long time ago before I knew what I was doing. I stopped the oral care by Oxyfresh but I still use their Cleansing gele at night to wash my face, underarms and privates. Recently I forgot to buy it online and the underarm odor did seem to return.
I like the oxygenated products and may try the oral ones again. I stuck with Therabreath because it was cheaper and I could buy it at stores like Walmart. It's oxygenated also. Do you buy it from your dentist?
Hey they are looking for a sales rep. Anyone interested in making a little money? If I had the time I would sell it for cost to people here.
#11
24th February 2009
hope4us
Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Allen, TX
Posts: 346
RE: What do you use to freshen your breath?
Anewstart,
Between Sharon, Maria, Arun, and the others you have gotten some great information here. I won't add to their suggestions, since they are the experts. I have been using products that contain a lot of sugar, but I will read the above posts to change that.
Thanks for bringing up the topic.
Glenna
__________________
“You must not think that I am unhappy. What is happiness and unhappiness? It depends so little on the circumstances; it depends really only on that which happens inside a person.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer ( 1906-1945)
#12
29th March 2009
maggie
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 8
RE: question for Arun
Hi Arun
My chewable vit c only makes reference to 'stearic acid' in the ingredients and 'acetic acid' in the flavouring. Is this the same as what you are referring to below?
maggs :huh:
Quote:
Originally Posted by scientist42
Hi Anewstart,
Sorry it took me a while to reply but I am currently in the 2nd month of a 4 month vacation in Asia, currently in Langkawi, Malaysia (previously in Thailand for 6 weeks).
I am on my way to Kuala Lumpur to meet a fellow Group member to look at (and hopefully video) the effects of surgical removal of his underarm sweat glands on his odour. He also had a tongue coating like many of us.
Yes, I fully agree with Sharon and Maria on the benefits of tongue scraping. Tongue scraping is essential for those who have a prominent coating, I would suggest scraping twice a day at least.
The reason I know this for sure is that I have taken a sample of tongue scraping, this contained saliva and a creamy tongue coating. I centrifuged the saliva so the top layer was pure saliva and the separated bottom layer was just the tongue coating alone. Guess which was the smelly one when I asked 3 people to smell these two layers? It was the creamy/ slimy tongue coating!
Furthermore, as this sediment dried out the odour increased in orders of magnitude! The moist sediment wasn't that smelly, but upon drying the odour was hugely icreased!
Now, I would encourage others to do the same so that we can confirm for sure that the odour is largely coming from the dried tongue scrapings.
In terms of treatment, my initial suggestion is to try varying the pH of the tongue as this affects the odour. Fist try brushing the tongue with an alkali such as sodium bicarbonate powder. If this doesn't help, try scraping the tongue then chewing something with an acidic pH instead (eg chewable ascorbic acid tablets (vitamin C ).
Please teake your time, these initial treatments are cheap. Let us know your findings.
In 6 months from now I hope to produce a protocol for drug/dietary treatment of halitosis. This will be the result of feedback from at least 120 group members on what helped them. Then I can give you something more scientifically proven.
Arun
#13
8th June 2009
scientist42
Site Owner
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: London
Posts: 725
RE: question for Arun
Hi Maggs,
Sorry I never saw your message earlier. I wasn't trying to ignore you, honestly!
I think messages get missed like this because there are so many subforums, well that is the feedback we have got from members.
We are acting on this feedback and this site will have a drastically reduced number of forums (in roughly a month from now).
Maggs, the stearic acid and acetic acid are merely excipients that bind the tablet together. They do affect the pH but the actual active ingredient is ascorbic acid (this is the scientific name for vitamin C)
Arun
Quote:
Originally Posted by maggie
Hi Arun
My chewable vit c only makes reference to 'stearic acid' in the ingredients and 'acetic acid' in the flavouring. Is this the same as what you are referring to below?
maggs :huh:
Quote:
Originally Posted by scientist42
Hi Anewstart,
Sorry it took me a while to reply but I am currently in the 2nd month of a 4 month vacation in Asia, currently in Langkawi, Malaysia (previously in Thailand for 6 weeks).
I am on my way to Kuala Lumpur to meet a fellow Group member to look at (and hopefully video) the effects of surgical removal of his underarm sweat glands on his odour. He also had a tongue coating like many of us.
Yes, I fully agree with Sharon and Maria on the benefits of tongue scraping. Tongue scraping is essential for those who have a prominent coating, I would suggest scraping twice a day at least.
The reason I know this for sure is that I have taken a sample of tongue scraping, this contained saliva and a creamy tongue coating. I centrifuged the saliva so the top layer was pure saliva and the separated bottom layer was just the tongue coating alone. Guess which was the smelly one when I asked 3 people to smell these two layers? It was the creamy/ slimy tongue coating!
Furthermore, as this sediment dried out the odour increased in orders of magnitude! The moist sediment wasn't that smelly, but upon drying the odour was hugely icreased!
Now, I would encourage others to do the same so that we can confirm for sure that the odour is largely coming from the dried tongue scrapings.
In terms of treatment, my initial suggestion is to try varying the pH of the tongue as this affects the odour. Fist try brushing the tongue with an alkali such as sodium bicarbonate powder. If this doesn't help, try scraping the tongue then chewing something with an acidic pH instead (eg chewable ascorbic acid tablets (vitamin C ).
Please teake your time, these initial treatments are cheap. Let us know your findings.
In 6 months from now I hope to produce a protocol for drug/dietary treatment of halitosis. This will be the result of feedback from at least 120 group members on what helped them. Then I can give you something more scientifically proven.
Arun
#14
31st December 2009
vilenin89
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 174
Re: What do you use to freshen your breath?
I know that most of the bad breath bacteria might thrive in an alkaline environment, but i heard that acidic things should be avoided throughout the day and the PH should try to be kept pretty neutral.
#15
1st January 2010
looking4answers
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 119
Blog Entries: 1
Re: What do you use to freshen your breath?
Yes isn't that interesting, because a completely balanced PH in our bodies is very good for us. Disease is not possible in a body that has it's PH balance correct. And foods that are more alkaline than acidic help lessen any kind of inflammation we may have in our bodies and generally help us feel better. It is hard for me to wrap my head around acidity being good for bacteria. Maybe Arun could explain that better.
cc
scientist42
Site Owner
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: London
Posts: 725
Re: What do you use to freshen your breath?
Hmmm acidity affects a number of factors:-
1 bacterial replication
2 equilibrium of release of smelly substances
3 activity of lysozyme (antimicrobial enzyme in saliva)
I have heard some say that an acid ph helps them eg sucking on vitamin c tablets (ascorbic acid). Others say alkaline envonment helps eg brushing the tongue with bicarbonate (or gargling). Some say neutral pH is best. I wonder if anyone really knows for sure because there are several factors (see above)
Arun
#17
2nd April 2010
quest777
funkychic
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Funkytown
Posts: 7
Blog Entries: 1
Re: What do you use to freshen your breath?
This might help my mom has halitosis and she used cinnamon oil to rinse her mouth and it indeed helped her.
#18
3rd April 2010
markymark
Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 36
Re: What do you use to freshen your breath?
Drink freshly squeezed ginger juice. Like 300ml or so which would create a burning sensation in your mouth and throat. Thus killing bacteria to a certain extent, then top it off with some mint or spinach juice. Works like a charm!
Something new but i figured it works for me.
#19
4th April 2010
mpdela
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Miami, Florida
Posts: 1,350
Blog Entries: 3
Tongue scraping and halitosis management
This is such an important post for halitosis, that I just thought it should be brought up to the top again. Thanks Arun, for sharing this with us.
María
Quote:
Originally Posted by scientist42
Hi Anewstart,
...Yes, I fully agree with Sharon and Maria on the benefits of tongue scraping. Tongue scraping is essential for those who have a prominent coating, I would suggest scraping twice a day at least.
The reason I know this for sure is that I have taken a sample of tongue scraping, this contained saliva and a creamy tongue coating. I centrifuged the saliva so the top layer was pure saliva and the separated bottom layer was just the tongue coating alone. Guess which was the smelly one when I asked 3 people to smell these two layers? It was the creamy/ slimy tongue coating!
Furthermore, as this sediment dried out the odour increased in orders of magnitude! The moist sediment wasn't that smelly, but upon drying the odour was hugely icreased!
Now, I would encourage others to do the same so that we can confirm for sure that the odour is largely coming from the dried tongue scrapings.
In terms of treatment, my initial suggestion is to try varying the pH of the tongue as this affects the odour. Fist try brushing the tongue with an alkali such as sodium bicarbonate powder. If this doesn't help, try scraping the tongue then chewing something with an acidic pH instead (eg chewable ascorbic acid tablets (vitamin C ).
Please teake your time, these initial treatments are cheap. Let us know your findings.
In 6 months from now I hope to produce a protocol for drug/dietary treatment of halitosis. This will be the result of feedback from at least 120 group members on what helped them. Then I can give you something more scientifically proven.
Arun
#20
12th April 2010
scientist42
Site Owner
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: London
Posts: 725
Re: What do you use to freshen your breath?
Yes thankyou guys for sharing your tips with us
Arun
#21
3rd May 2010
julia
Junior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: rockford
Posts: 13
Blog Entries: 1
Re: What do you use to freshen your breath?
xylitol gum
#22
6th May 2010
julia
Junior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: rockford
Posts: 13
Blog Entries: 1
Re: What do you use to freshen your breath?
chlorhexidine gluconate oral rinse
#23
16th July 2010
blksexy65
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Savannah
Posts: 11
Re: What do you use to freshen your breath?
Do it help?
#24
17th September 2010
JaySmith
Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Keller
Posts: 1
Re: What do you use to freshen your breath?
Quote:
Originally Posted by blksexy65
Do it help?
Ya it does Blksexy. I do it all the time. I scrap my tounge with a butterknife. Sometimes I will vigorously scrape my skin with a butterknife too. I feel like I get all the dead skin cells off like that. It's nice.
#25
21st September 2010
Wendycori
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Cincinnati
Posts: 103
Re: What do you use to freshen your breath?
I got a stainless steel scraper from Whole Foods. I have found out something different than I think I've seen posted here. I have digestion problems and I was told the white coating could be from poor digestion. Ever since I've been taking digestive enzymes my white coating is waaaayyyy down. I take the stomach acid pills (I forget the chemical name?) and then another digestion pill with all the amylase, etc. in it, and I scrape. I think the digestion pills help a lot!
#26
4th November 2010
jump4joy
Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 52
Re: What do you use to freshen your breath?
I scrape and i use biotene toothpaste (i have a very dry mouth, anxiety and health related) and put a couple of tea tree drops on my toothbrush for germs, but i always find my BB worse after i've scraped like i'm exposing my bad breath.
I always rinse and gargle with hydrogen peroxide and also have a homemade nasal spray with hydrogen peroxide, bicarb, sea salt and distilled water which i spray twice a day.
I have recently been thinking though that although hydrogen kills bad bacteria this means it will also kill good and my good is not being replaced, so i have just started yesterday eating a couple of spoonfuls of live yoghurt after i do my hydrogen gargle...early days yet but hope i see a difference.
I also eat cloves or chew them whenever i have to go anywhere, mints and gum make mine worse. they burn a bit but i actually quite like that
Yesterday i had to go to the dentist I've not been for 2 years as just could not face it but i have broken a tooth and filling...feel sorry for my dentist, now that is torture for me and her. I try not to breathe at all, very hard.
K12-blis is supposed to be good but very expensive, has anyone had good experiences with it?
#27
3rd March 2011
Smellyoulater2
Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Chicago
Posts: 44
Re: What do you use to freshen your breath?
My dentist told me to gargle with luke warm water and table salt. He said to do this when ever you feel like you have bad breath. It seems to work well for me. Hope this helps.
#28
8th March 2011
Wish
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 18
Re: What do you use to freshen your breath?
I use trident gum with xyletol.This is the only gum that doesn't make my breath stink.I guess it is because it is made of xyletol.I use colgate and mouth wash.My problem is if I don't drink enough water,I will have bad breath.But taking probiotics in double dose makes my breath ok.But not the other odor coming fromother parts.
#29
14th March 2011
TheKakuroMaster
Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Orlando
Posts: 13
Re: What do you use to freshen your breath?
Yeah, I was first led on to Biotene by my mother. I was using regular mouthwash, and Crest toothpaste a few times a day for my mouth care. I started to pay more attention to my oral hygiene because I read once as to how diabetics, like me, are more prone to developing periodontal disease and other mouth conditions. However, this wasn't doing much to fight a halitosis problem I developed. It seemed that everytime I would eat or drink anything sugary I would almost immediately develop a sour breath smell. I was at a loss to understand why until I read into Biotene and how it was a good product for people who take medications chronically. I am currently taking both Metformin for diabetes and Lisinopril for hypertension and they must have been causing my mouth to become overly dry. I bought some of the Biotene gum, mouthwash, spray, and toothpaste. I noticed a reduction in the bad-breath smell if I used the products on a regular basis. Maybe you will too if you are taking medications long-term for medical problems. I do warn you that the products are more expensive than the average oral-care products but they do seem to work. It might be worth the try. Just a word of advice.