Dr Zac Turner reveals best food to stop bad breath

Dr Zac Turner has revealed how many times a day you should really be brushing your teeth – and what to eat to stop bad breath.

What do you do about bad breath? Picture: iStock

Welcome to Ask Doctor Zac, a weekly column from news.com.au. This week, Dr Zac Turner talks about bad-smelling breath.

Question: Hi Dr Zac, my best friend is a dud when it comes to dating and I think I know the reason why: his breath stinks like hell. It’s not bad, as in bad smelling coffee-breath, it’s bad – as in a pile of festering baby nappies mixed with the body of rotting corpse – all living underneath his tongue, bad!

He’s a pretty sensitive guy so I don’t want to hurt his feelings. Can you tell me what causes bad breath and how to solve it so I can discreetly help him out? – Nelson, 27, Perth

Answer: We’ve all been there before. Someone has you cornered, perhaps even in a medical consulting chair, and despite their yapping away all you can think about is their awful breath. It stinks, it’s repulsive and what’s worse is the idea of having to tell them their breath stinks!

There have been multiple moments in my early life when I was a graduate doctor, looking for wisdom and expertise from senior doctors. A few times these expert doctors would give me their time, but unfortunately I couldn’t focus during the meetings because they had awful breath. I had a near-death experience holding in my breath secretively.

What do you do about bad breath? Picture: iStock

Although Oxford describes ‘medicine’ as the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease – I believe it should also incorporate ‘promotion’ and making the knowledge I am giving easy to take in (i.e. – making sure you can easily communicate to your patients, including having fresh breath and a neat presentation). I personally like to chew gum or use mouthwash during the day to make the difference for my patients trying to seek advice.

Bad breath, otherwise known as halitosis, is usually caused by a problem originating in the mouth. It can be, however, a sign of a more serious condition such as diabetic ketoacidosis, kidney failure, or an infection.

I’m going to assume your friend isn’t suffering from kidney failure or infection, and focus on his mouth. I’ll run you through a checklist of what causes bad breath, and then fill you in on how to get his breath back to smelling fresh!

Here is Dr Zac’s Bad Breath Checklist:

Does he have a poor oral health routine?

There is a staggering amount of people out there who believe brushing their teeth once a day is enough. I really do feel for dentists across the country who have to clean smelly mouths all day.

To avoid bad breath, you must brush and floss your teeth twice a day, and rinse with mouthwash.

If not properly cleaned, the bacteria present in the mouth have a party with food particles and create the foul smell of halitosis.

Does he have a dry mouth?

Saliva has many handy uses and one of them is keeping away bad breath. Saliva cleanses the mouth and washes away bacteria. A dry mouth can be caused by medication, or dehydration. Does your friend drink enough water?

Does he love to eat onion rings and garlic bread?

You’ve most likely heard it before but onions and garlic can cause bad breath. Is he following a fad diet of strange foods? The Keto diet has been known to cause halitosis.

Avoid the garlic if you want to smell nice. Picture: iStock

When was the last time he went to the dentist?

We should never skip the dentist! Our teeth are as important as our fingers and toes, maybe even more! If you have bad breath, your dentist can help diagnose and treat your gums and teeth for a range of diseases which contribute to halitosis.

I hope by going through the checklist above you have honed in on the cause of your friend’s bad breath. The best way to stop bad breath is to keep up a stellar dental routine. Brush twice a day, rinse your mouth with mouthwash and don’t forget to bloody floss!

Don’t forget to go to the dentist. Picture: iStock

If you’d like to try something else on top of your dental hygiene, here’s a few other Dr Zac tips for bad breath remedies:

• Parsley

• Pineapple juice

• Water

• Yoghurt

• Milk

• Fennel or anise seeds

• Orange

• Zinc

• Green tea

• Apples

Got a question:

[e-mail]

Dr Zac Turner has a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Sydney. He is both a medical practitioner and a co-owner of telehealth service, Concierge Doctors. He was also a registered nurse and is also a qualified and experienced biomedical scientist along with being a PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering