A lot of people suffer from chronic halitosis, or bad breath. In fact, as many as half the North American population suffers from it to some degree. Perhaps that is why the quality of our breath is something of a North American preoccupation. Almost everybody is conscious of their breath and will take steps to avoid breathing in someone else's face if there is any chance their breath is going to smell bad.

For some of us, it's an imaginary problem. Our chronic halitosis boils down to chronic fear of halitosis, and if we investigated, say, took a poll of friends or consulted a doctor, we'd find that no one else has detected a problem with our breath. For others, however, the problem is all too real, and strategies to remedy halitosis are sorely needed.

When it comes to finding a remedy chronic halitosis can be a challenge. This is because many products don't really treat the problem, they just treat the symptom, which is the unpleasant odor on the breath. Bad breath will continue until we find a way to stop that unpleasant odor from being produced in the first place.

The odor is actually volatile sulfur compounds, molecules containing sulfur that are produced by bacteria living in the moth, mostly at the back of the tongue. Think of the smell of rotten eggs, or the sulfur smell you notice after striking a match. The smell of bad breath is the smell of similar compounds. To remedy chronic halitosis, you need to get rid of the bacteria that are producing these compounds. It won't be easy.

In the end, you may remedy chronic halitosis but you will never really get rid of the bacteria - you will just reduce them to levels low enough that the volatile sulfur compounds they are producing are no longer detectable on the breath. They will return in odorous numbers if you relax your guard, so make sure you plan to keep using the remedy indefinitely if you really want to be free of the problem.

Many products claim to remedy chronic halitosis if used consistently and as directed. Mouthwashes containing zinc or chlorhexidine are among these commercially available products. Olive oil, Tea tree oil, chlorine dioxide, and sodium chlorite are active ingredients in natural remedies that have some potential. The good thing is that there are a number of different products with very different approaches, so if one doesn't work for you, another might.