Treating bad breath with mints
Many people like to take a breath mint to improve the smell of
their breath. It seems like a good idea. It
tastes sweet and produces a nice smell.
The problem with these mints is that they
usually contain sugar, which makes them counter-productive. Let me explain.
Bad breath, or halitosis, is almost always caused by bacteria in the mouth. These
bacteria feed on the things you eat and produce smelly waste products. So
when you take a mint with sugar in it, you may temporarily cover up the
vile smell, but you are actually feeding these bacteria and making the
smell worse.
The mints are popular because it's hard for people to smell their own
mouth odor. You're used to the smell your mouth
produces, and don't notice the bad smell. But when you take a breath mint
with a nice smell to it, you notice that, and the sweet taste in your
mouth helps in creating the feeling that your breath smells fine. So these
mints create the illusion of making your mouth smell better.
Besides this, the sugar causes an acid attack on your teeth, promoting
tooth decay.
Clinical quality mints, such as those that are
sold by Dr. Katz's TheraBreath company (advertised on the right, and those
sold by TriOral and BreathRx, which also often advertise here, are made
without sugar, to avoid this effect. Dr. Katz's ZOX breath fresheners have
xylitol, which is a non-sugar sweetener that doesn't promote the growth of
bacteria. It neutralizes the volatile sulfur compounds that are the smelly
substances in most mouth odor. It also
stimulates the flow of saliva. The manufacturer claims it will eliminate
bad breath and taste for hours, and it may well do that.
There are also chewing gums and rinses that have bacteria-fighting and
volatile sulfur-neutralizing chemicals in them that will help fight
mouth odor. There are also mouthwashes and other
products provided by some of the sponsors of this page, listed on the
right. Many of them actually work quite well, because they target the
bacteria that cause halitosis and they also have odor-fighting chemicals
in them. Check them out by clicking the links.
Most over-the-counter breath mints will help your mouth smell better
for maybe ten minutes, after which it will actually smell worse.
