Whenever I visit my friend in Delhi, she makes sure that I have seekh kebabs and tandoori chicken. After all, I am a die-hard fan of chicken. Now, the thing is these dishes taste even better when you pair them with raw onions. While you are eating, you don’t think much about bad breath. Once you are done, you realize that you smell unpleasant. Thankfully, my friend’s grandmother helped us out. She gave us lemon juice and told us to use it as a mouthwash to fight bad breath.

While brushing your teeth might fix the problem, you don’t carry a toothbrush and toothpaste everywhere you go. Well, there’s always mint-flavored mouthwash available in pharmacies. But if you wish to take the natural route, you can go for homemade mouthwash for bad breath. Lemon juice tops the list of natural mouthwash for bad breath. Read on to find out why doctors and Ayurveda experts think that lemon juice is good to combat bad breath.

Home remedies work wonders a lot of times, but are they always backed by science? So, I connected with Dr Sageer Aazaz, Head Of Department, Dental, Paras Health, Gurugram, and Mumbai-based Ayurveda expert Dr Lakshmi Varma K to find out more about lemon juice and oral hygiene.

Health benefits of lemon juice

Lemon, which is easily available, comes from the citrus family of fruits. It is sour and known for being a common source of vitamin C, which is essential for our body. With the temperatures steeply rising, it is a very handy fruit to have in your kitchen to make refreshing drink to keep you hydrated. Dr Varma K says that the sour lemon juice is also a very good palette cleanser and digestion enhancer. It is effective in reducing:

• thirst
• nausea
• indigestion

Its cleansing nature makes it a good choice in counter acting bad breath and coating of the tongue.

Lemon juice for bad breath

Yes, lemon juice is a source of vitamin C, and is rich in antioxidants. Dr Aazaz says that it helps to keep the connective tissues in your gums healthy and strong, which in turn keeps the teeth in their place. It helps to prevent gingivitis (gum inflammation) and advanced periodontal problems. This in turn, prevents bad breath. But the doctor says that that lemon juice is not a substitute for professional cleaning (scaling) that is recommended by a dentist for bad breath. Brushing, flossing and cleaning the tongue should be be part of your oral hygiene regimen.

How to use lemon juice to fight bad breath?

You can squeeze lemons and add the juice to a cup of lukewarm water and then use it as a mouthwash. But Dr Aazaz warns that lemon juice should be used only in limited quantities. Excessive usage of lemon juice can cause dental erosion due to its high citric acid content. You can use juice of 2 to 3 lemons throughout the day, and not more than that. He also says that lemon juice should be avoided by those who have sensitive teeth due to erosion or abrasion.

To enhance the flavour of the lemon water, try adding a sliced cucumber, a bit of fresh mint or ginger. Your mouth will feel all fresh and smell good!