I can't stand the taste of mint. There are non-mint toothpastes out there, but the foamy texture of toothpaste makes me gag. Mouthwash is so harsh I can hardly force myself to put it in my mouth, and keeping it there long enough to swish is torturous. Has anyone with similar problems discovered a way to prevent stink-breath and dental decay? /does anyone know of a mouthwash for people with sensory difficulties?
There was a big discussion on this in another thread with some great suggestions, does anyone remember where it went?
But rereading it now, I think what I'm looking for is something to help with breath, not brushing... brushing with water/baking soda doesn't improve my breath :/
I can't stand the taste of mint. Gum's OK, but non-mint gums don't usually freshen the breath too much.
this is true. (my brain apparently ignored the "hey no mint" in your original post and went with "breath-fresheners that do not feel like toothpaste". sorry!) hmm. What about ginger? It's strong, but it's not minty...
No worries! It's tolerable, but I'm not good with spicy things either. What kind of ginger thing were you thinking of?
There's a reason your breath is stinky--it doesn't just happen. My parents took in foster kids and we had one who had TERRIBLE breath. Turns out she had a wooden bead stuffed up her nose that had been there for years. You might want to have an ENT check you out.
Well, it could be as simple as gnawing on a hunk of ginger. :P fresh gingerroot isn't too expensive at the supermarket, just peel it and nom - or mince/grate/chop and boil in water for tea. Parsley would definitely work too. In fact you could probably use pretty much any fresh herb, though some will be more obvious than others...
As @rigorist said, it can be a matter of finding a cause: if it's just because you eat delicious food that coincidentally contains strong flavors, though, there are other options. First, drinking a lot of water helps keep down smells. Also, green tea (all tea, but green is best) has antibacterial properties, which would be a preventive measure if the bad breath is caused by something like tonsil stones, but also do the hydrating and washing away thing of water - plus something like vanilla green tea would be an actively nice smell. Water, tea that is not standard orange pekoe, or something else low on sugar are going to work best: soda and coffee have their own scents. Second, bubblegum flavored kids' mouthwash. It is non-burny because it's for kids, and actually tastes like bubblegum. Third, Tom's of Maine toothpaste. It's all organic or whatever, so my parents have it. I think the last time I stayed over and didn't bring my own toothpaste I sent T a long rant about not having done anything in my life bad enough to deserve that sort of punishment. So, uh, the texture's not for everyone. But it pretty much doesn't foam, and comes in a bunch of non-mint flavors.
Something you may consider is something that Fiance has to use -- a Waterpik. They're not super expensive ($25 gets you the travel one IIRC) and you can add a driblet of your preferred mouthwash (he uses a grapefruit flavored one that we get from Walgreens) to the reservoir while you blast the crud from your teeth. It also has the added benefit of being as useful as flossing for getting crud between your teeth, and it's really good for your gums too. Other than the waterpik, he also will, from time to time, just use a few drops of the grapefruit mouthwash on a clean cloth to rub over his teeth to get that smooth, polished-y feeling that brushing will give you, without the minty burn.
