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

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:

This provides you with a pleasant taste and improved cleanliness in your mouth, which removes the fear of bad breath obstacle affecting your human interactions.

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 it also provides it with healthy minerals and nutrients. These nutrients support the overall health of the mouth and teeth.

Benefit:

Feeding your mouth’s overall health with natural minerals make it even stronger in the long run.

You may enjoy months or even years without needing to set an appointment to the dentist due to gingivitis, tooth decay, cavities, tooth discoloration or any other type of oral health disease.

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

3. ACV helps with overall digestion

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

Using apple cider vinegar in your diet improves food digestion that prevents the bad breath coming out of the stomach. 

Benefit:

Adding a small portion of apple cider vinegar into your salads, for example, may improve your digestion and prevent diseases in your gastrointestinal tract, which may cause bad breath issues. 

You’ll feel much better in your gut and will prevent releasing unpleasant gases out of your stomach. 

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: 

1. Apple cider vinegar has a high concentration of malic and acetic acid, which creates a non-friendly environment for bacteria growth in the mouth.
   
2. Using apple cider vinegar provides your body with important blend of minerals and nutrients like potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, copper and sulfur that supports the health of your mouth, teeth and overall body.
3. The high acidity of apple cider vinegar breaks down the plaque, which harbors many bad breath bacteria.
4. In cases, when you have bad breath when hungry or it is caused by indigestion, apple cider vinegar facilitates proper digestion in the stomach.

Remember when I told you that, if not used properly, apple cider vinegar may cause you certain health problems?

Here they are below. 

Apple cider vinegar may cause the following health problems

• If used undiluted acv daily, its acidic properties may erode the tooth enamel, the hardest layer of your teeth, over time, potentially leading to tooth decay.
• The most common adverse reaction to apple cider vinegar are burns 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. To be more exactly you may damage your tooth enamel, which is not regrettable and once it’s off your body can’t make more of it.

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 may lead to pain and sensitivity.

This is also when teeth erosion takes place, which leads to gingivitis, tooth decay, cavities, etc.

And remember.

If you just consumed acidic products like drinks or vinegar don’t brush your teeth right away to protect your teeth from an acidic attack, which will brush away demineralized 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, which is 2 table spoons (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

Normally, bad breath bacteria develop in the mouth, but it also happens that it may develop in your 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 smell 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 a 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. Mixed together 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 attack. 

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 actually 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 which 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.