According to experts, water and tea are the best choices to put a stop to unpleasant breath.

According to the latest studies, around six percent are permanently affected, and one in four is temporarily affected – we are talking about the problem of bad breath. Yet it affects all of humanity, from Germany to Brazil, from China to Kuwait. However, a few simple rules of conduct can effectively prevent bad breath. An important factor, for example, is sufficient fluid intake, whereby the right choice of beverage is crucial. According to experts, water and tea are the best choices to put a stop to unpleasant breath.

How does bad breath actually occur? A frequently suspected reason for smelly breath is bad teeth. This is quite true, although it is usually not the teeth themselves that emit the unpleasant odor, but rather the food particles that gather in the gaps between the teeth. Protein-rich food residues are significantly more odor-intensive than, for example, purely vegetarian residues. The reason: millions upon millions of microbes that decompose such food residues in the mouth develop more or less of the unpleasant-smelling volatile sulfur compounds during their work. But even with some vegetarian foods, it can literally take your breath away. Under bacterial influence, garlic, for example, develops so-called allyl methyl sulfides, which can sometimes lead to bad breath lasting up to three days.

However, it is not only the interdental spaces and gum pockets that are exposed to bacterial and foul-smelling major attacks. A heavily coated tongue can also be the source of unpleasant breath, as the bacterial density is sometimes increased by up to 25 times.

But what causes this growth in bacteria that turns our mouth into a breeding ground for foul odors? An important cause lies in the low-oxygen environment that often prevails in the oral cavity, because the little "stinkers" only feel really comfortable when there is little oxygen. However, the lack of oxygen is often due to insufficient saliva flow, which is frequently caused by inadequate fluid intake.

Therefore, experts recommend that in addition to thorough dental hygiene, people should also pay more attention to drinking enough of the right fluids. Normal water and tea are at the top of the list, although tea is considered the even better choice for several reasons. The polyphenols contained in tea, for example, inhibit the breakdown of starch, thereby reducing the formation of plaque and ensuring better teeth. Green and black tea also contain a lot of fluoride, which is known to prevent tooth decay. Last but not least, it is also the flavorings that ensure increased saliva flow and can thus directly contribute to preventing bad breath. In short – tea drinkers are happier, because bad breath makes you lonely.