You’re used to it. That fresh, minty taste of toothpaste gives you a kick when you wake up in the morning. Really, you can’t imagine living without it. Well, there’s no reason why you should — just add a little something extra to that toothbrush, and you might find you’ve kissed bad breath goodbye.

Salt of the Earth

It’s hard to believe that something as simple as a little salt and pepper on your toothbrush could go such a long way when it comes to preventing bad breath. But it’s true.

Pepper is a strong antibacterial agent, and so is salt. Furthermore, a little salt around the base of the gum serves to tighten up the tissue. This discourages the bacteria that usually gather in pockets at the base of the teeth, leading to gum disease. So take those salt and pepper shakers off the dining room table and bring them into your bathroom.
Read more »

It’s official — bad breath is number one. Number one when it comes to offensiveness, that is. In a poll of Canadians undertaken by Oral-B, 44% responded that bad breath was the “most offensive oral misdemeanor in the workplace.” Many added that if they knew they had dragon breath, they might skip out on their job or avoid important meetings in order to avoid offending their colleagues.

So is the problem an epidemic of poor oral hygiene? According to the director of a Toronto bad breath clinic, the problem may be more complicated. Director Anne Bosy is looking into the possibility that most corporate bad breath stems from more holistic problems, such as suppressed immune systems, too much stress and just plain bad eating habits.
Read more »

The Atkins diet recently took another hit (although an anecdotal one) from the medical community when a 40 year old woman recently entered the hospital for a condition known as ketoacidosis, a condition which in its less threatening form is commonly associated with the high-protein, low-carb Atkins diet.

A professor from the New York school of medicine blamed her diet for the severe case of ketoacidosis, although admitting the patient might also suffer from complicating conditions such as pancreatitis or gastroenteritis as well.
Read more »

An Oklahoma City television station, KOCO, recently reiterated some expert findings that some foods can help bad breath, creating an oral environment that discourages the growth of odor-causing bacteria.

Some offer a mechanical aid by cleaning the mouth as you eat — for example, crunchy foods such as apples and carrots.

Other foods ward off smelly bacteria by creating an acidic environment they don’t like, such as fruits rich in natural vitamin C, like blueberries, strawberries, cantaloupe and oranges.
Read more »

A question asked by many adults and children is how the toothbrush got started. There are several schools of thought on it, but you need to look far into the past for the first signs of oral hygiene.

The Chinese were believed to create the first real toothbrush, but it wasn’t much like the ones we use today. Those first toothbrushes, crafted in the 1400s, didn’t use nylon for bristles, or plastic for the handles. Instead, the handles were crafted from bamboo, one of the most readily-available regional plants. Attached to the bamboo handle was a set of bristles, taken from the tough hair of the Siberian wild boar — specifically, from the back of his neck. This toothbrush is the ancestor of all the brands we use today.
Read more »