Apple Cider Vinegar for Bad Breath: Benefits and How to Use

If you believe that apple cider vinegar does cure bad breath, you might want to learn different ways how to use it.

Apple cider vinegar is a natural folk remedy for bad breath.

Many people are using apple cider vinegar as a complementary oral care procedure.

If you are wondering how to use it to get rid of bad breath naturally continue reading.

I'll share with you the reasons why apple cider vinegar cures bad breath, the rules of using it, and different ways to apply it to your oral care routine.

Let’s take it step by step.

3 Benefits of apple cider vinegar for bad breath

1. Creates an unfriendly environment for bacteria in the mouth

Apple cider vinegar has a high concentration of malic and acetic acid and, due to this, using it, in your mouth, creates an unfriendly environment for bacteria.

Mouth washing and gargling with apple cider vinegar kills the bacteria on the teeth and on the tongue that are causing bad breath.

Benefit:

Gargling with apple cider vinegar provides you with a pleasant taste of improved cleanliness. After this, you won't fear that you'll embarrass someone while communicating.

The fresh taste of your mouth makes you a much more confident kisser or a better one on one communicator. You’ll no longer have to shy away from talking to your coworkers during team tasks.

2. Rich in natural oral health minerals

Apple cider vinegar is not only good at cleaning bacteria from the inside of your mouth but also provides it with healthy minerals and nutrients. These nutrients support the overall health of the mouth and teeth.

Benefit:

Feeding your mouth with natural minerals makes its health even stronger in the long run.

You may enjoy months or even years without needing to set an appointment with the dentist. 

So, you can enjoy your life without worrying too much about the health of your teeth.

3. ACV helps with digestion

When we hear about digestion we often think of food, stomach, and gut.

Adding apple cider vinegar to your diet improves your digestion. If it's used in small amounts, it can prevent bad breath from coming out of the stomach. 

Benefit:

For example: add a half teaspoon of apple cider vinegar into your salads. This may help to prevent diseases in your gastrointestinal tract, which may also cause bad breath issues. 

Reasons why apple cider vinegar helps with bad breath

The secret power of apple cider vinegar lays down in its strong acidic properties.

For example.

In comparison to distilled water, which has a pH of 7.0, apple cider vinegar is more acidic, which has a pH between 2.5 to 3.0.

Generally, the lower the pH number the higher the acidity is.

This property of apple cider vinegar kills bad breath bacteria in several ways: 

• Apple cider vinegar has a high concentration of malic and acetic acid. This creates a non-friendly environment for bacteria growth in the mouth. 
• Using apple cider vinegar your body receives an important blend of minerals and nutrients such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, copper, and sulfur that supports the health of your mouth, teeth, and body.
• The high acidity of apple cider vinegar breaks down the plaque, which harbors many bad breath bacteria. 
• In cases when hunger or indigestion causes bad breath, acv help stomach digestion. 
  

Remember when I told you above that, if acv is not used properly, it may cause some problems? 

Here they are below. 

Apple cider vinegar may cause the following health problems

• If used undiluted, acv's acidic properties may erode the tooth enamel.
• The most common adverse reaction to apple cider vinegar is burning in the throat, tongue, and digestive tracts.  
• Digestive issues such as bloating or delayed stomach emptying.

What does vinegar do to your teeth?

If you don’t properly use apple cider vinegar for breath you may hurt your teeth. More exactly, you may damage your tooth enamel. The tooth enamel is the hard part coating that protects the sensitive dentin underneath.

When the enamel is worn away, the dentin underneath is exposed, which leads to pain and sensitivity.

And remember.

If you just consumed acidic drinks or vinegar don’t brush your teeth right away. This prevents your teeth from an acidic attack. This acidic attack may demineralize the enamel.

It’s recommended to drink water to wash the acid away and after 20-30 minutes brush your teeth.

Rules to follow when using apple cider vinegar

• Don't brush your teeth immediately after drinking or rinsing with apple cider vinegar. Wait at least 30 minutes.
• Always dilute apple cider vinegar with water before using it. 
• Never exceed the maximum allowable daily dose of apple cider vinegar. This dose is of 2 tablespoons (30ml) of diluted apple cider vinegar.
  
• Always rinse your mouth with a glass of water after taking apple cider vinegar. 

Ways to use apple cider vinegar to fight bad breath

1. Drink apple cider vinegar

Bad breath bacteria develop in two areas of the body. The first is the mouth and the second is in the stomach. 

Drinking apple cider vinegar acts as a stomach acid, which improves digestion. This normalizes the gastrointestinal systems functioning and reduces the release of foul smells from your stomach.

The best way to consume apple vinegar internally is before or after meals.

Mix a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with a glass of water and drink it either before or after meals.

2. Add apple cider vinegar to your food

Adding a little apple cider vinegar while you prepare food or while you consume it may help with digestion.

Make sure not to overuse vinegar because you’ll ruin the taste of your delicious meal.

In the end, the goal is to enjoy the meal, not the vinegar. Right?

3. Store your toothbrush in vinegar

Using a filthy toothbrush may contribute to bad breath.

Your toothbrush becomes an attractive place for bacteria if it is not cleaned properly.

An easy solution to this is to store your toothbrush upside down in a jar with apple cider vinegar. Its antibacterial properties will maintain your toothbrush bacteria away.

4. Rinse with an apple cider vinegar homemade mouthwash

The main benefit of gargling apple cider vinegar is  that it builds an acidic environment in your mouth where bacteria don’t like to grow.

That said, swishing with an apple cider vinegar mouthwash may reduce bacteria growth in your mouth.

Here is the recipe.

Add 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to a glass of water. Rinse the solution in the mouth for 30 seconds and spit it out. 

5. Mix apple cider vinegar with a natural breath freshener

5.1 Apple cider vinegar and parsley

Parsley is rich in chlorophyll and apple cider vinegar is a strong antimicrobial solution. Mix these ingredients form a great solution against bad breath.

Dip a handful of parsley leaves in a cup of apple cider vinegar and chew them thoroughly. Chew the parsley leave for 2-3 minutes and spit them out or eat them.

5.2 Apple cider vinegar and baking soda

Baking soda is a good home remedy for bad breath that when used with apple cider vinegar makes a more potent solution. 

• Internal consumption

Add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and ¼ teaspoon of baking soda into a cup of warm water. Stir it well and drink this mixture.

As a result, it leaves your mouth clean and helps with digestion.

• Homemade toothpaste

Add ½ tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon of baking soda. Mix it well until it forms a smooth paste.

Dip the toothbrush into the paste and brush your teeth with it.

Brushing with this solution leaves your teeth and mouth clean. 

Can apple cider vinegar damage teeth?

Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body. It’s even stronger than the bone.

Its role is to protect the teeth from bacteria attacks. 

Unfortunately, tooth enamel weakens when consuming acidic products like soda drinks, lemon juice, or vinegar. This leads to dental enamel erosion. 

The problem is that enamel damage is irreversible. Once it’s off it never comes back.  

When the dental enamel begins to deteriorate your vulnerability to tooth decay and cavities increases.

Apple cider vinegar is very acidic, which means that overusing it in your mouth may damage your teeth.

This doesn’t mean that apple cider vinegar can’t help you get rid of bad breath. It means that you need to use it with caution.

Here are a few basic rules to keep in mind when using apple cider vinegar as a bad breath remedy.

-    If you consume apple cider vinegar regularly you should dilute it with water.
-    Don’t brush your teeth immediately after drinking apple cider vinegar. Wait at least 30 minutes.
-    Don’t eat or drink acidic things like orange juices, grapefruit, or tomatoes immediately after acv. 

Conclusion

The important thing to remember is that apple cider vinegar is a strong acidic component that creates, in the mouth, an environment where bacteria can't live due to not having food to thrive.

And use few acidic foods when you're dieting to lose weight because bad breath may also occur when you're hungry.