How To Get Rid Of Garlic Breath

Garlic is a wonderful culinary delight that enhances many different kinds of dishes. This bulb of this plant, closely related to the onion, also has a range of medicinal uses and is credited with everything from preventing coughs and colds to lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. While we may enjoy both the flavour and the health benefits, a garlic-heavy meal leaves us with one pressing question: how to get rid of garlic breath.

All bad breath is caused by bacteria in the mouth and garlic contains a number of compounds that cause this bacteria to grow more quickly. This, combined with the fact that garlic has a pungent aroma of its own, combine to create an unpleasant odor few other foods can match. To make matters worse, when you eat garlic you quickly become acclimated to the smell and therefore don’t notice the taint on your own breath. Because of this, even breathing into your cupped hands won’t reveal anything suspicious.

The most broadly accepted and effective solution to garlic breath is to chew on a few sprigs of fresh parsley, swishing the mixture around your mouth as you do so to ensure even coverage. Fresh mint can also be quite effective though if you find the taste too powerful, a large cup of hot mint tea will also have a positive effect.

Brushing your teeth won’t completely eliminate the problem but it will go some considerable way towards helping, so long as it is done properly. Most people only brush their teeth for around 40 seconds but a thorough cleaning to get rid of all the bacteria – which is what you want to do to get rid of your garlic breath – should take at least two minutes. Remember to floss in order to get rid of additional bacteria from the spaces between your teeth where your toothbrush can not reach.

Though your teeth make a good home for the odor-producing bacteria that garlic encourages, they are less welcoming than your tongue. Invest in a tongue scraper or simply use a little extra toothpaste on a soft brush and work your way back and forth over the surface. This can go a long way to reducing bacteria levels and in turn greatly reduce your garlic breath. Finishing off with an antiseptic mouthwash will help kill off any remaining bacteria in your mouth, at least in the short term.

An additional problem with garlic is that some of the bad breath is caused by substances that are absorbed into the blood during the digestive process. This is the reason that, if someone eats a large amount of garlic, the smell of it can be detected on their skin. When blood containing these substances passes into the lungs, some of the gas is released up into the mouth. This means that no matter how much you clean your mouth, you will still suffer from a degree of garlic breath.

Some studies have shown that sipping a glass of milk while eating foods high in garlic can significantly reduce later odor problems but ultimately, the only real answer you can give to someone who wants to eliminate garlic breath is to avoid garlic in the first place.