Bad breath can happen to the best of us. Maybe we’ve eaten nothing but good things all day, but still our breath smells.
But what happens when this situation hits, and you’re left without even a gum or a mint to help you out, sometimes freshening your breath can seem even more urgent.
Of course, if this happens all the time, you may want to consider that it may be you neglecting your gums and tongue when you brush your teeth, or maybe post-nasal drip.
But if this is just an immediate problem, here are some ways to freshen up without a gum or mints.
- Water. It may sound too easy, but it actually helps. The bacteria in your mouth is what’s so smelly, and when your mouth is dry, your saliva can’t do its job of trapping that smell. By hydrating, you’re helping your saliva out.
- Tea. Not only does it have the same hydrating power as water, but it also has the benefit of containing polyphenols, which prevent bacteria growth in your mouth that causes bad breath.
- Coffee. If it’s black, that is. One study at Tel Aviv University found that coffee can get rid of that bad breath quick. However, milk or creamer can totally reverse these effects.
- Apples. If you need a bite to eat while still getting rid of that breath, eat an apple. Apples have polyphenols like tea does, meaning that your bad breath gets neutralized. The motion of biting into an apple cleans your teeth, too.
- Carrots and celery. These watery veggies are perfect for clearing your mouth of the food debris that can eventually become smelly bacteria. It also, like almost everything on this list, stimulates saliva production, which is realy what keeps bad breath in check.
