There's a multitude of products on the market to help prevent bad breath ("
halitosis"). If you have a problem with bad breath, you should visit a
dentist. Don't be embarrassed, this is exactly what they're for. The two most popular solutions (although they're only temporary solutions) are
chewing gum/
mints and gargling with
mouth wash.
Although chewing gum makes your mouth taste pleasant for around 10-20 minutes, it doesn't actually help prevent the
bacteria which cause bad breath or prevent plaque buildup - also responsible for bad breath. Recently a new type of mint has been brought out - "
Wrigley's Ice White" (Wrigley's currently have the largest market share of chewing gum in the world) and "Cool Mint
Listerine - Pocket Pack". My experience is that the Listerine product is stronger and helps keep your breath fresh longer (it contains some of the ingredients found in the mouth wash - see below), but it doesn't taste as nice (my personal preference obviously).
Mouth washes come in two varieties; the type that kill practically all bacteria in your mouth, and the ones that kill only certain types. In this market,
Listerine has been market leader with several mouth washes. Listerine is the type that will kill most bacteria in your mouth - this is bad because when you stop using the mouth wash, your normal bacteria won't be able to work in your mouth and you'll get bad breath again. Using a mouth wash which is targetted towards specific bacteria is much better.
Corsodyl is recommended by many dentists and my personal experience is that it's excellent. I find it difficult to justify why so many people use products like Listerine when Corsodyl is out there. When buying it, you may need to ask behind the counter as it's not always out on display with the normal mouth washes. It's also a little bit more expensive, but you get what you pay for in this world.
Remember though - brush your teeth and floss regularly!