Smoking leaves the smell of tobacco lurking your mouth. This unpleasant odor is often called smoker's breath. Bad breath due to smoking is similar to bad breath due to eating -- you've consumed something that is creating an odor, and now you want to get rid of it.
If you're a smoker, you might attempt to eliminate smoker's breath by using breath mints and gum; and by practicing good dental care. All these methods can certainly help reduce the problem. But getting rid of smoker's breath should also involve another, very effective plan of attack -- eating the right foods.
Tobacco smoke has a sticky quality that makes it adhere to your mouth tissues and teeth. This is bad enough, but left unchecked, it can be a haven for bacteria growth.
According to MSN Health and Fitness, one of the best ways to get rid of bad breath quickly is to eat a crunchy piece of fruit or a crunchy vegetable after you smoke. The crunchy texture helps clean the teeth, and the rest of the mouth, naturally removing that sticky tobacco smoke from your mouth (see Reference 1).
Fruits and vegetables that work well include raw apples, carrots, celery, broccoli and cauliflower.
Another way to beat smoker's breath is to eat a citrus fruit. Fruits high in citric acid like lemons, grapefruit and oranges stimulate saliva, which helps clean your mouth, and naturally freshen your breath. The vitamin C these fruits contain helps to fight bacteria growth.
Sometimes just giving your mouth a good rinse with a healthy drink after a cigarette can eliminate smoker's breath. Cranberry juice, which has anti-bacterial properties, can help, as can some types of tea including unsweetened green tea, black tea, and peppermint or spearmint tea.
Online Health Care reports that gargling with a mouthful of salt water for 30 seconds can also work to clean the tobacco smell from your mouth. Salt water clears out bacteria and food particles that might be hanging on to unpleasant odors.
We all know that eating certain foods can cause bad breath. But even foods that don't cause bad breath themselves can be culprits in helping to make the smell of cigarette smoke hang around. Sugary foods are always bad for your breath because the sugar creates plaque, a prime place for bad smells to grow.
Aside from sugary foods, foods that stick in your teeth such as breads and meats, should be cleaned away as soon as possible after eating. Any food particles stuck in your teeth are prime targets for absorbing the smell of tobacco smoke.