It is an interesting question—can you really get rid of bad breath with hydrogen peroxide? Many of us grew up hearing that foods such as garlic and onions were the true sources of bad breath so it may seem a bit confusing to think about using something like hydrogen peroxide to treat the problem. However, foods such as garlic only cause transitory bad breath. This happens because the food you eat becomes metabolized during the digestive process and then passed into the circulatory system. Blood that passes through the blood gives off molecules of the food and when we exhale—bad breath. However, this type of bad breath will pass as soon as the food has been completely absorbed and used by the body.
Chronic bad breath problems can be caused by food but not in the traditional sense. The true of source of bad breath is anaerobic bacteria living in the oral cavity. These bacteria, like any living organism, must eat and secrete waste. Most of the time, anaerobic bacteria feed upon leftover food particles from the meals we consume. When we fail to brush after meals, these bacteria will feed and then secrete sulfur compounds such as:
- Methyl Mercaptan
- Dimethyl Sulfide
- Hydrogen Sulfide
Soon after they are secreted by the bacteria, these sulfur compounds become gaseous and that is what you smell when thinking about bad breath. The reason that chronic bad breath may be caused by the foods you eat is because these microorganisms tend to breed faster and produce more waste when we consume protein, sugars, and complex carbohydrates such as starches. Foods known to increase bad breath problems due to elevated levels of anaerobic bacteria include:
- Fish or seafood
- Meats
- Dairy Products
- Pastas
- Corn syrup
- Table sugar
Thus, while food can lead to chronic bad breath, it is not in the traditional sense as is the case with onions or garlic. In addition, lowered carbohydrate consumption is another way that food can lead to halitosis. Because very low levels of carbs cause the body to get its energy by converting its fat stores, bad breath and ketosis (the state of elevated metabolism) are the linked. So, where hydrogen peroxide is concerned—can it truly help prevent or treat bad breath problems? Yes, it can and it is only partly because it has antiseptic qualities.
The primary reason that hydrogen peroxide is used in some bad breath products is because it adds oxygen to the oral cavity. Anaerobic bacteria do not breed very well in well-oxygenated environments. Thus, the added oxygen provided by products with hydrogen peroxide will help lower the population levels of the microorganisms and thus reduce the production of sulfur compounds responsible for bad breath.
However, be sure to avoid products with hydrogen peroxide concentrations above 1.5% because this may cause the enamel on your teeth to dissolve and leave you at greater risk of tooth decay. Yet, because of its ability to lower anaerobic bacteria levels, it is possible to control bad breath with hydrogen peroxide.
