Sure, you can employ a host of commercially-available breath fresheners or mouth washes and enjoy some relief from bad breath. However, the bad news is that most of these tactics are temporary. They act simply by masking the bad odors trapped in the cracks and crevices of the tongue (or gums). Once the alcohol or herb evaporates, bad breath resurfaces again, as offensive as ever - if it was ever completely masked to begin with.

What might provide more long-lasting relief is the use of antibacterial mouth rinses. However, it’s important to avoid the ones containing alcohol, since alcohol consistently causes dryness of the mouth. Alcohol-based agents may lead to short-term gains, but will always aggravate the problem over time.

A Cheap Short-Term Fix: Hydrogen Peroxide

You can temporarily control acute bad breath — the kind you get from eating onions or garlic — by rinsing your mouth with a hydrogen peroxide wash. Even at a minute concentration of 1.5%, hydrogen peroxide can serve as an effective oral antiseptic.

To use hydrogen peroxide, simply gargle about 10 milliliters worth for a few minutes. Food-grade hydrogen peroxide is commonly available at 3% concentration. You should dilute it to 1.5% by mixing it half and half with water.

It’s worth keeping in mind, however, that hydrogen peroxide is a powerful oxidizer which kills most bacteria, including useful aerobic bacteria.

For Chronic Halitosis, Call Out the Big Dogs

Also, evidence suggests that the most effective products in battling bad breath are not the ones generally available over-the-counter in drugstores. Instead, they are specialty products usually found in online pharmacies.

The truly effective products for measuring and combating bad breath, like top-of-the-line home breath tests and antibacterial rinses, toothpastes, gums, mints, and tongue gels, will always cost you more, just like any other premium product. But unlike the well-known and inexpensive brands you’re likely to find on the grocery shelf, these can often give you a measure of control over your problem.

However, when buying bad breath remedies over the internet, you’ll need to exercise extra caution. For one thing, you’ll want to research prices, since just like in the bricks-and-mortar world, they can vary widely from pharmacist to pharmacist. Also, without the assistance of a living, breathing retailer, you’re on your own to select the right remedy or medication. As a result, you may have to go through some trial and error to find both the product and online pharmacist that works for you.