Cures for Bad Breath From the Throat

You can brush your teeth, scrape your tongue, floss and rinse with mouthwash and still have awful breath if the smell is coming from the back of your throat.

The anaerobic bacteria that live on the surface of your tongue and inside your mouth that cause bad breath can also be present in your esophagus. If this bacteria begins reproducing at a rapid rate, due to an infection or other reasons, you are going to have bad breath, according to Kiss-bad-breath-goodbye.com.

Infections

Consider that you may have bad breath due to an infection of the tonsils or sinuses. This can cause bad breath that emanates from the back of the throat, according to Health911.com 1. These conditions can cause excess bacteria, which can make your breath stink. It could be that you have some kind of allergy if you also have throat and sinus problems.

Pharyngitis

How to Clean Cryptic Tonsils

Learn More

A sore throat, also known as pharyngitis, can cause bad breath. Pharyngitis involves an inflamed pharnyx, which is the portion of the throat that is situated just beyond the back of the roof of the mouth. It extends to the pharynx, which is the Adam's apple.

Viruses and bacteria from a sinus infection, a cold or the flu cause the sore throat. Bacteria can make your breath smell.

Tonsil Stones

Tonsil stones, or tonsilloliths, are whitish-yellow, irregularly shaped, bad-smelling bunches of bacteria and mucus that can get caught in the back of the throat. These stones develop in the tonsil crypts, which are small pockets that are present in everyone’s tonsils.

These white globs are called tonsilloliths, according to Tonsilstones.com. If you are coughing up smelly globs of white, you probably have tonsil stones.

Difficult to Treat

Natural Antibiotic for Gum Disease

Learn More

If you don’t have tonsils, you don’t need to worry about tonsil stones.

However, if you do have tonsils, these stones can smell terribly bad. They stick at the back of the throat and result in irritation to the throat. Stones can be removed but often reappear in a day or two.

Geographic Tongue

The white coating that occurs on some people’s tongues can smell, according to Dental-health-index.com. According to Dr. Harold Katz, if you have a geographic tongue you are more likely to have a white tongue. A geographic tongue is a tongue that has more grooves and fissures in it than most tongues. These areas provide an excellent place for bacteria to breed, which is what causes bad breath and a white tongue. Use a tongue scraper to remove the white gunk. Do not skimp on this process, which is one that many people overlook. It should be done daily to keep your breath fresh. If you don't remove the bacteria from your tongue, your breath may smell.

Mucus and Postnasal Drip

If you have a lot of mucus and postnasal drop, this can cause halitosis, which is chronic bad breath due to the buildup of mucus in the back of the throat.

How to Get Rid of the Smell

Consider using a product called TheraBreath, which is an oxygenating toothpaste. If you are dealing with tonsil stones and the gobs of white stuff that are considered “stink balls,” try mixing 2 tsp. of honey with bicarbonate soda and put both in a glass of warm water. Gargle the mixture for a minute and then drink it. You can also gargle saltwater to reduce the odor of the “stink balls.” Smoking and drinking can exacerbate the smell that is coming from tonsilloliths, so avoid these practices.

Other Techniques

Consider brushing your tongue and gums with powdered cloves or myrrh to reduce the odor. Use a Waterpik after you’ve eaten, putting 1 oz. of hydrogen peroxide into the water that you are using. After you’ve eaten, swish water around in your mouth. This will help eliminate residue from drinks, primarily sugary drinks, and food particles that can make you have bad breath.

Use a mouthwash that has very little alcohol in it because alcohol content can make the odor worse. Make your own mouthwash by mixing together 50 percent water and 50 percent hydrogen peroxide (3 percent) and swish this around inside of your mouth for 30 seconds.

Additional Recommendations

Kiss-bad-breath-goodbye.com advises flossing daily and using an oxygenating oil rinse that is alcohol free.

Buy toothpaste that contains tea tree oil or put a few drops of this oil on your toothbrush. Tea tree oil has a very aromatic flavor. Use the herb spirulina, which is a source of chlorophyll. You can buy it in loose form or capsule. Take 500 mg three times a day.

Peppermint is a good resource for combating bad breath. It is exhaled through the lungs and sweetens the breath.

Vitamin Deficiencies

If you have a vitamin B deficiency, this can cause bad breath. Consider taking a supplement. Vitamin C will help rid the body of excess toxins and mucus that can cause odors emanating from the mouth.

A zinc deficiency can also cause bad breath. Discuss this with your doctor and see what she recommends.

Other Considerations

Drink a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar before each meal. This aids your digestion and may help eliminate bad breath. Think about brushing your teeth with baking soda. This will lower the acidity in your mouth so that bacteria aren’t as likely to grow. If your sinuses are causing the back-of-the-mouth odor, dilute hydrogen peroxide by 50 percent using water, put this in a spray bottle and spray it up your nose. Do this two times a day. It may burn some. If it doesn’t help, then your problem isn’t your sinuses. Make a tea out of ¼ tsp. of ground cloves and 2 cups of hot water. After steeping, pour it through a fine strainer.

Rinse your mouth with it or gargle with it twice a day. You can purchase chlorophyll tablets or liquid at your pharmacy. Chlorophyll deodorizes.

Chew some hazelnuts (filberts). This reportedly cures bad breath.

Chew and Suck

Chew basil, thyme, wintergreen, parsley or rosemary. These herbs will help eliminate bad breath. Suck on a lemon wedge that has been sprinkled with salt.