Can Mouthwash Help Cure Bad Breath

These can be an excellent way of removing plaque - that amorphous, gelatinous film of bacteria that collects on the teeth and causes tooth decay and gum disease. A tiny amount of bacteria viewed through a microscope is an alarming sight - thousands of tiny wriggling creatures living happily off food debris in the warm conditions of your mouth. It is usually formed when people don't brush and floss teeth regularly. Antibacterial agents are present in mouthwashes and can help eradicate this sticky layer, but avoid using any that contain alcohol. One of the market leaders contains 27 per cent alcohol. Alcohol-based mouthwash has five main drawbacks:

1. It dries the mouth and makes bad breath and gum disease worse.
2. It feeds the bacteria that cause gum disease and bad breath.
3. It dissolves and weakens white fillings.
4. It may increase the risk of oral cancer.
5. It kills or seriously injures approximately 600 children under the age of six every year in the US, when they drink mouthwashes containing alcohol.

Choose a mouthwash that positively declares itself 'alcohol-free', as alcohol derivatives go by many different names on ingredient lists.

Bad Breath
Bad breath is evidence that there is an excess of bacteria growing in your mouth, on your tongue, or up under your gums, which give off odorous or unpleasant gases. These gases are often noticeable when you speak or breathe out. Often this is worse after a night's sleep, during which the mouth is often closed, and is called 'morning breath'.

'In over 95 per cent of cases, bad breath comes from the mouth,' says Dr Stemmer, who runs Europe's original Fresh Breath Centre. 'It is very, very rarely from the stomach or from any other medical condition. Bad breath is not, as many assume, an indication that you have a problem with your digestion. Breathe out... Where is the air coming from, your lungs or your stomach?' Put like that, the answer is obvious. But do bear in mind that other conditions that can contribute to bad breath are illness, low fluid intake, stress, lack of salivary flow and lack of exercise.

Oral malodour mainly occurs from an accumulation of oral bacteria which can live anywhere in the mouth, although usually under the gums, between the teeth, on the palate, between fillings or crowns that don't fit, on the tongue or in the folds of the cheek. If you have a broken filling and food packs underneath, you are likely to get unpleasant breath.

For cases of halitosis (bad breath), your first port of call should be your dentist and hygienist. 'If your gums bleed, that's a sign of disease. It's not normal for gums to bleed. You wouldn't think it normal for your nails to bleed if you washed your hands, and if they did you'd visit your doctor. The same applies to your teeth,' says Dr Stemmer.

Tell-tale signs that you may have bad breath include: Gums that bleed on brushing or flossing, a dry mouth, and/or an unpleasant, metallic taste in your mouth.

Can Mouthwash Help Cure Bad Breath?
An average of £258 million per year is spent in the UK on mouth-fresheners that do not work or are used incorrectly. They simply disguise one odour with another, stronger odour that lasts no more than 15 minutes. Mouth rinses alone will not solve the problem, but if you do choose to use a mouthwash, one of the most effective is Dentyl pH which came out top of all mouthwashes tested in the US by a non-profit organization, Clinical Research Associates, using volunteer dentists. It actually lifts, absorbs and removes bacteria, dead cells and food debris. You can see it working - when you spit out you can see clumps of debris in the sink. 'Some mouthwashes kill the bacteria, but leave them in the mouth, so the new bacteria eat the old bacteria and they've got plenty of food,' says Dr Stemmer. Alternatively, chew roasted fennel seeds after meals.

If you arc eating strongly-flavoured foods, these can produce temporary bad breath, which can be helped by gargling half a cup of aloe vera juice - but be warned it has a strong bitter taste.

For persistent problems consult the Fresh Breath Centre.