If a product claims to be “natural” we must investigate to see if the product truly contains all natural ingredients.  Natural breath fresheners may come in many forms such as mints, sprays, and gums; however, traditional breath fresheners are also found in the same forms.  The difference in a natural and traditional breath freshener is that the natural breath freshener should be free from dyes, chemicals, and artificial sweeteners.

Natural breath fresheners are designed with ingredients that are readily available in nature.  Thousands of years ago, people were using natural breath fresheners although they probably didn’t know it at the time.  Substances from the mint and the herb family are very effective at freshening the breath and are very common substances that are found in natural breath fresheners.

Herbs such as cloves, anise seed, and cardamom seeds are common substances that were used to freshen the breath regularly over four thousand years ago.  These ingredients are still in use today.

Mints such as peppermint and spearmint are commonly found in today’s natural breath fresheners.  Mints may come in the form of a mint leaf and/or oil.  Peppermint contains anti-bacterial properties that work to kill the bacteria that is within the mouth.  Spearmint has anti-inflammatory properties, as well as anti-bacterial properties.  Many people today grow these types of mints in their herb gardens.  The leaves of a mint plant are safe to eat; therefore, chewing on a couple of mint leaves will freshen the breath and will also aid with the digestion process.  Another natural ingredient found in modern natural breath fresheners is almond oil.  Almond oil is an effective anti-inflammatory agent and also lubricates the mouth.  A natural breath freshener that contains all three of these oils has been proven effective at killing the bacteria that is within the mouth and also keeps the bacteria from reforming.   If used daily, this natural breath freshener will continuously clean the mouth and provide long lasting oral health benefits.

Natural breath fresheners work for long periods of time; however, traditional breath fresheners only work temporarily and mask the problem.    Many times traditional breath fresheners may make oral health problems worse.  Ingredients such as sugar found in traditional breath fresheners may cause bacteria to reproduce.  Other ingredients such as alcohol may cause the mouth to dry out.  Dry mouth has been linked to many oral health problems.

Therefore, we should consider using a product with long-term benefits rather than a potentially harmful product with temporary results.