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Do Mouthwashes help in Halitosis ?
Read about Halitosis presented in simple easy to understand language

Bad breath can be detrimental to your social life. It can reduce your self-esteem and confidence and make you very self conscious. Following a strict brushing and flossing routine and cleaning out all food particles from between your teeth helps. Bacteria hide between teeth and other dry, inaccessible places and causes offensive mouth odor.


There are many myths about bad breath cures. Like in most other health conditions - prevention, a healthy lifestyle and diet is the best cure for bad breath.


There are a lot of temporary cures for bad breath. Chewing gum keeps the saliva flowing and the mouth moist and can temporarily help bad breath by not providing dry mouth conditions for the bacteria. Not eating high protein foods like meats and cheese helps. Also avoid alcohol, caffeine and sweets which cause dry mouth conditions and leave a residue for the bacteria to feed on and munch on fruit instead. Most crunchy fruit naturally clean the teeth.


Mouthwashes also temporarily mask bad breath and are sometimes detrimental to bad breath because of the presence of a high concentration of alcohol which dries up the mouth. Look for an antiseptic mouthwash if you do use one.


A mouthwash should be used with other oral hygiene regimens to be effective. A mouthwash should have the ability to kill bacteria which produce volatile sulfur compounds (VSC’s) and also neutralize the sulfur compounds to be an effective cure.

Some of the over-the-counter mouthwashes used in the treatment of bad breath are
• Mouthwashes with chlorine dioxide possesses both of the characteristics of oxidation and the ability to neutralize volatile sulfur compounds. This creates more oral moisture which kills anaerobic bacteria and also reduces sulfur compounds which create better breath conditions.
• Mouthwashes containing zinc ions which bind to the compounds which anaerobic bacteria require while producing odor causing sulfur compounds.
• Antiseptic mouthwashes directly neutralize volatile sulfur compounds. Others argue that antiseptic mouthwashes contain high levels of alcohol and can aid in xerostomia which is basically a dry mouth condition.
• Cetlyperadium chloride acts as an antibacterial agent which reduces the odor causing anaerobic bacteria in the mouth.


To be effective a mouthwash must be used after brushing, flossing and dislodging the plaque. Rinsing after you have cleaned your mouth and tongue thoroughly helps wash away all the particles you have loosened from the crevices of your teeth and gums. Though mouthwashes can clear away particles and give a temporary feeling of having a clean mouth, they are not capable of completely killing the bacteria causing bad breath.


Mouthwashes can only help if used occasionally in addition to diligent routine care. Drinking plenty of water, having a diet high in fruit and vegetables, routine brushing and flossing and regular visits to a dentist are a good way to fight bad breath. Since bad breath cures are largely determined by the causes, formulating a treatment plan after consulting with a dentist and a doctor to rule out other underlying medical conditions is the most effective way to deal with bad breath.

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