How do you get rid of morning breath?

Waking up with a bad case of halitosis is a pretty common occurrence, prevalent enough that it has its own name - morning breath - and, depending on who you ask, its own unique smell. But regardless of how it occurs, what is the most effective way to get rid of it? A team of Brazilian researchers recently grappled with this very question.

The group, which is based in the Universidade de Sao Paulo, announced their findings at the 89th General Session of the International, Canadian and American Associations for Dental Research.

They found that the most immediately effective way to reduce morning breath is to use a specialty breath freshening tongue scraper. Among twenty healthy adult volunteers, those who used a scraper saw the most dramatic immediate reductions in halitosis.

However, the device's effect was short-lived. The team noted that mouth rinses containing chlorhexadine or other odor-neutralizing compounds did the best job of reducing the smell of morning breath over several hours.

Morning breath occurs when odor-causing bacteria multiply in your mouth overnight. Generally speaking, moisture is their enemy. By drinking plenty of water and using oral care probiotics to replace harmful microbes, you may be able to nip morning breath in the bud both now and later.