The Best Mouthwash for Halitosis (Bad Breath)

Most mouthwashes just mask the odor. How do you treat the cause of bad breath?

The other videos mentioned are Tongue Scraping vs. Tongue Brushing for Treating Halitosis (Bad Breath) ( ), The Benefits of Gum Chewing for Halitosis (Bad Breath) ( ), and Don’t Use Antiseptic Mouthwash ( ).

Here are the rest of my videos on bad breath:
• How to Naturally Treat Tongue Coating-Associated Halitosis (Bad Breath) ( )
• Foods That Cause and Help Halitosis (Bad Breath) ( )
• Effects of Tongue Scraping on Plaque, Gingivitis, and Cavities ( )
• Does Tongue Scraping Cause Cancer? ( )
• How Tongue Scraping Can Affect Heart Health ( )
• How to Clean Your Tongue ( )
• Can Stress Cause Halitosis (Bad Breath)? ( )

New subscribers to our e-newsletter always receive a free gift. Get yours here: .

Have a question about this video? Leave it in the comment section at and someone on the NutritionFacts.org team will try to answer it.
UPDATE: We are currently testing the removal of the comment section across all video pages on the NutritionFacts.org website until October, and it will either be reinstated thereafter or removed permanently based on the results. Please feel free to continue your discussions by commenting on our YouTube channel and social media accounts, where we will have Health Support volunteers available to address questions.

Want to get a list of links to all the scientific sources used in this video? Click on Sources Cited at . You’ll also find a transcript and acknowledgements for the video, my blog and speaking tour schedule, and an easy way to search (by translated language even) through our videos spanning more than 2,000 health topics.

Thanks for watching. I hope you’ll join in the evidence-based nutrition revolution!
-Michael Greger, MD FACLM

Captions for this video are available in several languages; you can find yours in the video settings. View important information about our translated resources:

• Subscribe:
• Donate:
• Podcast :
• Books:
• Shop:
• Facebook:
• Twitter:
• Instagram:

Leroy Johnson
 

  • @AbsalomLabelle says:

    What learning and self-education methods do you use to continuously improve in your profession?💖

  • @samsungfanboy says:

    What about green tea?

  • @aroundandround says:

    Pretty sure the best mouthwash is a vegan diet and eating meat causes halitosis.

    • @Kayte... says:

      Dairy gave me halitosis, stinky arm pits that wouldn’t wash away. Sugar will also make me stink. I am sensitive to both sugar and casein which might explain why I stunk.

  • @belindapotts4879 says:

    I absolutely appreciate the science behind what does not work very well. I think I missed what will help. Am I to understand that just plain brushing and flossing and tongue scraping is about the best that we can do? Pleads help me see what I missed. Thanks.

    • @ShazWag says:

      I missed this too. It wasn’t made very clear. 🤷🏻‍♀

    • @user-rw7xd7qy3j says:

      From what I understand, zinc chloride is the only real effective thing with minimal side effects, however, and unfortunately of the eight brands that are listed in a brief second towards the end of the video, only two of them has zinc chloride in it. Ironically, the only ingredient that is clinically shown to help with bad breath is not in most mouthwashes. Go figure

    • @vickijd22 says:

      I agree…very unclear as to what the answer is here!

  • @pickledbeaker5916 says:

    no salt water rinse?

  • @misterx3188 says:

    Mushrooms are said to help.

  • @pfrydog says:

    Original Listerine.

  • @ShazWag says:

    I had to use both chlorhexidine and diluted camomile drops daily after my orgnathic surgery to prevent the risk of infection. My tongue and some of my teeth became a little stained, but this completely disappeared within a couple of weeks after I stopped using them. Chlorhexidine is important to help prevent infection after oral surgery, the effects of which would be worse.

  • @teeada6858 says:

    I noticed that you didn’t mention flossing at all in this video. Flossing is crucial to a healthy mouth and gums and also helps eliminate bad breath along with brushing.

  • @bubblybull2463 says:

    Coconut oil works a wonder and will get any mouth healthy : no more gingivitis 🤗🎉

    • @KrwiomoczBogurodzicy says:

      Dr Greger has already covered oil pulling. Spoiler: it doesn’t work.

    • @bubblybull2463 says:

      @@KrwiomoczBogurodzicy spoiler : it works for me and worked on all people I told to try 🤷🏻‍♂️ (My stepdad is chinese and had the worse mouth hygiene I’ve seen anywhere. His dentist told him he couldn’t remove his teeth to put on bridges because his gum with way too inflammed. I told him about coconut oil and a few moutwashes later, his dentist just couldn’t believe the result and happily made him a new smile. So there you have it: my very own experiments with it 😉)
      Ps. That being said, I’m willing to hear what Dr Greger says about it. Do you have a link?

    • @bubblybull2463 says:

      @@KrwiomoczBogurodzicy I could find this video of Dr Greger : https://youtu.be/1UhiAJjWut0?si=EVrz2HF04wIqQlOQ
      Maybe you ought to watch it again? He’s doesn’t discard oil pulling as a means for good oral hygiene since it DOES a very good job. In the video he actually emits the hypothesis that it is more the effect of the pulling than the oil itself.
      Also, oil pulling doesn’t cure everything, that would be ridiculous and is not what I’m saying either. Notice too that in the study, they didn’t use coconut oil but sunflower oil.
      My experience and that of my family and friends who tried it is that coconut oil pulling works wonder. Try it for yourself 😉

  • @skl1023 says:

    Brushing with baking soda works. And the price is right!

  • @IrvineTruth says:

    What about just good old fashioned hydrogen peroxide? Seems to work great for me and it’s very inexpensive.

  • @blink555 says:

    Brushing teeth with baking soda works

  • @mchagawa1615 says:

    Thank you so much for this <3

  • @terrileeg03 says:

    Chew on a couple whole cloves.

  • @shellym79 says:

    I thought we weren’t supposed to scrape our tongue because it removes the good bacteria that we need for our heart health?

  • @robertbeatty1633 says:

    I was hoping you would state the name of a brand to look for. Which one contains the zinc you recommended?

  • @paulveg8524 says:

    Flossing helps too, eh? Removing the crap between the teeth and gum line? Dr. Greger didn’t mention that.

  • @Kevindavegan says:

    no solution provided thanks

  • @madamecurious says:

    What is the brand name of the mouthwash we should use?

  • >