Mouth washes are a big business in the US, where people spend more than $10 billion on oral hygiene products each year, but despite using all the products many still suffer from bad breath or “chronic halitosis”. Most commercial mouth washes contain alcohol, Benzoic Acid, Thymol and Chlorhexidine that can worsen the bad breath problem and are actually toxic for your system. Alcohol is known to dry out mouth reducing saliva that is necessary for preventing bad breath. Research now shows that using mouth washes with such ingredients can put one at risk of developing neck and mouth cancers.
What is the problem with commercial mouthwashes?
Dentists now don’t suggest use of mouth washes as these can kill both the good and bad bacteria in your mouth and gut, and the harmful ingredients can put one at a risk of developing cancer. Alcohol is the number one culprit that many big name brands have in their mouth washes; alcohol based products dry out your mouth and actually makes the bad breath problem worse. The mouth washes worsen the problem by killing the good bacteria as well, and the bad bacteria grow out of control, causing more problems with the breath. The natural balance of having saliva in the mouth and good and bad bacteria is destroyed by using commercial mouthwashes with alcohol.
What are the alternatives for commercial mouthwashes?
There are natural and herbal alternatives available, not widely available but people are gradually noticing the effects of using herbal products for a good breath and clean gums and teeth. The best way to control bad breath would be doing oil pulling; the technique uses olive or coconut oil to clean the oral cavity giving you healthy teeth and gums. Swishing just 1-2 teaspoons of your favorite organic oil in the mouth for 15-20 minutes can help in preventing bad breath; it is also done for detoxification of the mouth. Oil puling is an ancient, traditional method of cleaning the mouth for shinier teeth and healthy gums.
Natural and herbal mouthwash
Bad breath could be sign of a chronic disease such as diabetes or kidney and liver disease, along with that smoking, drinking alcohol, diet high in sugars, and gum disease such as periodontitis or gingivitis can cause bad breath. A natural mouth wash made of herbal ingredients can be a better alternative for a commercially available mouthwash, a home-made natural mouth wash doesn’t contain harmful and toxic ingredients listed above that only worsen the halitosis. Chewing on parsley, Green cardamom and whole clove can rid mouth of smell after a meal. In order to make herbal mouth wash you’d need a few ingredients including 1.5 cups filtered water, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon calcium magnesium powder, 2 drops of each of these essential oils; spearmint, cinnamon, peppermint, clove, and myrrh.
Add all these ingredients in a glass bottle and shake it up, and use it to prevent bad breath and to have naturally healthy teeth and gums. You can use this mouthwash twice a day after brushing your teeth.
