Have you ever had to sleep on the couch because your bed mate had a permanent case of dry mouth dragon breath? Or perhaps you were the one suffering from a bad case of halitosis. Chances are pretty high as we hit the dry winter season that you can sympathize. And truth be told when I get a bit of a cold and have to breathe through my mouth the whole night I even puff out a cloud that curls my own toes.

Often times bad breath is a result of periodontal disease (or gum disease to those of us not versed in dentist speak), gingivitis or just plain morning dry mouth. Without getting into a rather disgusting explanation, in all the above cases bacteria is the culprit.

So what is one to do to cure bad breath naturally and more importantly find a natural remedy for periodontal disease which causes bad breath?

I may have discovered a product that is the salvation for those of us suffering from periodontal disease, gingivitis, bleeding gums, canker sores, plain old bad breath or surprisingly even cavities themselves. I stumbled upon Vita-Myr recently and based on the testimonials I was excited to give it a try. Vita-Myr makes a line of Zinc-Plus all natural herbal toothpastes and mouthwash that sound nothing short of amazing.

The story behind the creation of Vita-Myr Herbal products is very inspiring. Robert Takhtalian at the age of only 44 had periodontal disease so bad that his teeth were loose (the Tooth Fairy was on her way kind of loose) and the only thing his dentist could do was remove the teeth. As you can imagine that didn’t go over well with Robert or his wife Yvonne so they spent a year researching and developing natural remedies for periodontal disease. That research resulted in a vitamin, mineral and Herb combination that could be used in a mouthwash. After that year he had no sores in his mouth, no bleeding, no bad breath and his teeth had tightened up in his gums to the point that he could eat anything including chewing gum and even apples. That kind of natural cure is amazing in this age of fad products, but his story isn’t the only inspiring tale being shared. Read more amazing results here.

We’ve been trying the Vita-Myr mouthwash, original formula toothpaste and the new Zinc-Plus Xtra with CoQ10 and Xylitol (which includes a whole bevy of additional curative benefits) for a couple weeks now, and while we won’t know if it aids in curing periodontal disease until our next check ups it certainly helps in a few areas so far – including that nasty dry mouth morning breath.

First off Vita-Myr leaves your teeth feeling squeaky clean with a pleasant fresh breath. One of the main ingredients is clove oil so if you like clove you’ll love these products. If you aren’t a fan of clove try the mouthwash first it has a milder clove flavor – or you can give the all natural orange flavored kids formula a shot – that will be the next one we try since our kids think the clove is too “spicy”. The clove is also anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory which helps in curing periodontal disease. Another key gum disease fighting ingredient is Myrrh (yes as in Frankincense and Myrrh). Gum inflammation and bleeding is also reduced by folic acid – which helps fight plaque as well.

The fourth key ingredient in the mouthwash and toothpastes is zinc. Zinc also has anti-bacterial properties, inhibits plaque growth, reduces wound healing time and eliminates VSC’s (volatile sulfur compounds) which is a key factor in causing bad breath. One of the benefits of the Vita-Myr products I have noticed is a boost to my immune system which can also be attributed to zinc and the overall bad bacteria fighting properties of all the natural ingredients. A week after starting on the products I had the beginning signs of a cold – being surrounded on all sides by sick co-workers and family it is hard to avoid, but avoid it I did. A result of using Vita-Myr? Quite possibly so, as far as curing periodontal disease naturally we’ll have to see. I’ll do a follow up post in a few months when I have another visit to the ‘ol dentist. Until then … I intend to keep using my Vita-Myr.