What’s the Best Mouthwash for Bad Breath?

Mouthwash can’t replace brushing, flossing, and scraping

Another reason why I don’t recommend the use of mouthwash is that it cannot replace brushing, flossing, and scraping.

Commercials for Listerine (or any other popular fluoride mouthwash), with their fancy visuals of waves of mouthwash magically scraping away plaque from tooth surfaces, will have you believe that all you need is a swig of mouthwash to make plaque disappear. But bad breath isn’t cured by rinsing with mouthwash – in fact, it’s worsened by it!

The plaque that causes bad breath must be removed by physical action

The truth is that no liquid or amount of rinsing can remove plaque from tooth surfaces (and plaque is what causes bad breath). Plaque must be removed by physical action – and this is the role of brushing, flossing, and brushing.

Mouthwash ads will claim that their mouthwash, “Kills bacteria and bad breath chemically,” which is impossible. If the surfaces of your teeth and gums have plaque stuck to them, your mouthwash won’t have any contact with the bacteria on your teeth and gums, and you’ll be stuck with bad breath, no matter how minty your mouthwash might smell.

A few years ago, Listerine claimed that using their mouthwash is the equivalent of flossing. These claims were quickly disputed by the dental community and the ad campaign was dropped after a lawsuit that found the ad to be false, misleading, and a public health risk.

Scraping the bacteria from your tongue helps with bad breath

Bad breath is caused by stinky bacteria (sulfur bonds) on your teeth and tongue. Flossing and brushing can remove bacteria from your teeth, while scraping can get rid of bacteria on your tongue. This is why tongue scraping is so effective at dealing with bad breath.

Buy a tongue scraper from your local drugstore and scrape once a day – you’ll be amazed and what comes off your tongue and what a difference it makes.

How to get rid of bad breath without mouthwash?

To cure bad breath, ditch your mouthwash!

Instead, brush after meals, floss, and use your tongue scraper at least once daily.

Drink plenty of water to keep bacteria-regulating saliva in full force.

If bad breath persists even after following these recommendations, you should see your dentist or doctor because it could be an indication of a more serious medical condition.