How does poor oral hygiene instigate the onset of bad breath? Poor oral hygiene means that you are not cleaning your mouth the mouth as often as you should. We emphasize on the word "mouth" since there is the common notion that bad breath starts from dirty teeth. As was mentioned, bad breath is caused by bacteria harboring in dry mouth. If thyme appeals to you, you can also try using wild bergamot as part of your bad breath treatment. It can be eaten by itself or in form of concoction. Due to its potency to release bad breath most commercial mouthwashes contain wild bergamot as its active ingredient. Clove ran down in history as the herb that must be chewed by Asians before they could appear before their kings. But if you try so hard to kill way beyond the 100% mark by using mouthwash excessively, then you are inviting worse breath. Take note that some commercially produced mouthwash products contain too much alcohol. You must be aware that alcohol dries the mouth. What's the big deal about it? Bacteria that cause bad breath breed on dry mouth. Coffee and soda are known to cause bad breath as well. All tobacco products can cause bad breath aside from other health danger they can cause. Dryness of the mouth is another reason why people have bad breath. It is more often the reason to children since they have habits of sucking objects including blanket that quickly dries the mouth. Pineapple juice If you are bothered with the garlic after taste, drinking pineapple juice will work for you. Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) Now, baking soda has a lot of uses when it comes with bad breath remedy since it eats the all the odors of your mouth. Here are those... Baking soda and water. To prevent bad breath from happening, there are 4 basic things you should do as a parent or guardian: 1. Teach your child the proper oral hygiene. The best way to do it is by brushing your teeth together. Also, allow your child to choose the toothbrush and toothpaste he wants to use. Just make sure that you guide him to the right type of bristle and toothbrush with fluoride.