Yogurt - the Bad Breath Nemesis
Recent researches have shown that yogurt is effective in combating bad breath. Known for a long time to help in digestion, yogurt has numerous natural good bacteria that help our gastrointestinal system and according to the research some Japanese scientists have done, it eliminates the bacteria that cause bad breath as well. Also, eating yogurt helps in cutting down gingivitis and plaque.
What yogurt does is replace the bad bacteria – anaerobic bacteria – which create sulfur compounds inside our mouths that causing the nasty odor of bad breath. In the Japanese experiment, people with bad breath who consumed yogurt showed a great decrease in the number of anaerobic bacteria in their mouths.
Yogurt also provides vitamin D. This vitamin apparently makes an inhospitable environment for anaerobic bacteria, limiting their development and growth in number.
But you also have to consider that not all yogurts are alike. Make sure that the yogurt you eat is sugarless, as sugar contributes more to the build up of plaque and eventually, gingivitis. Also, the yogurt you consume should have active cultures such as lactobacilli and streptococci; these are the good bacteria that help fight bad breath.
But of course, this is all futile if you don’t have proper oral hygiene. Anaerobic bacteria are just part of the problem. The more bits of food in your mouth, the more food for the bacteria, defeating the purpose of eating yogurt.
Check with your dentist at least once or twice a year. Have regular oral hygiene routines and use great oral products, and you’ll have bad breath licked.
