By Arthur Kezian
Do you like having your burger with raw onions? Do you enjoy a nice slice of garlic bread with your Caesar salad? Onions and garlic can both make your food taste better, but they also come with a price – bad breath. These two are the most common foods that cause bad breath; they contain sulfuric compounds that can promote the growth of some microbes in your mouth that already cause bad breath. If you’re a fan of garlic, you have probably noticed that even after brushing your teeth or rinsing your mouth some of the bad odor remains. Why? The sulfuric compounds found in garlic become metabolized, and ultimately make their way into your blood stream. During the digestive process, allyl methyl sulfide is passed through the bloodstream, and this is the main reason for the smell. Once this sulfuric compound is in your blood stream, it passes through a variety of excretions in the body, including pores. The compound also gets into the air that fills your lungs. As you breathe, the air goes into your lungs and is mixed and contaminated with the allyl methyl sulfide. So, even if you rinse your mouth or brush your teeth, the smell will not necessarily go away; it is not just coming from your mouth. Even if your oral hygiene may be good, the smell is coming from your body.
Fortunately, just as some foods can cause bad breath, others can mask it. They can’t get rid of the smell for good, but they do have a great temporary affect on hiding the smell! One of the most commonly known foods that can temporarily mask the odor is parsley; the trick is in the oils found in parsley. Parsley is also a good source of chlorophyll, which is a compound that has anti-bacterial properties. Apart from parsley, other herbs or spices can also mask the smell. Some of these odor fighting foods are spearmint, cinnamon, coriander, cilantro, tarragon, eucalyptus, cardamom, and rosemary. Check with your dentist for more possible odor fighting foods.
Another factor that helps is green tea. Green tea contains antioxidants like polyphenols that destroy sulfuric compounds. Green tea also contains catechin, another antioxidant that can fight off bacteria.
Yogurt is also very good for hiding bad mouth odors. The live active cultures in yogurt help diminish bad breath. Yogurt has probiotics, which are “good bacteria”, and can fight the “bad bacteria” that causes the smell. Researchers found that eating about six ounces of yogurt a day could reduce levels of odor-causing compounds (i.e. hydrogen sulfide). Ask a dentist about eating yogurt daily and they can let you know how beneficial it is.
Fruits are also very beneficial in masking bad odors. They help with the production of saliva, which helps nourish the mouth and gives it a natural balance. Given this information, apples and pears are good for producing saliva. Some other fruits that are good for masking bad breath are oranges, melons, and berries. These fruits are particularly rich in Vitamin C which not only helps fight bacteria but also battles gum disease and gingivitis, which can also be factors that cause bad breath. Vitamin C is a great source for your oral care!
Sugar-free gum is also good for the production of saliva. Chewing on sugar-free gum will cause the bad odor to go away temporarily. Breath mints have the same temporary affect the gum does.
There are a number of items that help mask bad breath. As long as you are cautious of what you consume and know what you can consume afterwards to make the smell go away, then you have nothing to fear. You can enjoy your onion rings and your garlic aioli sauces; just make sure to have one of the odor-fighting items on hand! If you have any questions regarding bad breath caused by certain foods, feel free to call Dr. Kezian and staff. They will be more than happy to help answer your questions!
Dr. Arthur A. Kezian DDS 443 N. Larchmont Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90004 (323) 467-2777