According to the HSE, 50% of people have persistent bad breath. You may not have noticed it before, however, with more and more people wearing face masks during Covid-19, it might be more noticeable to you now.
To eliminate bad breath, it is important to understanding the cause of your bad breath, as there are many things that it could be.
Causes of Bad Breath
Poor Oral Hygiene
There are many things that can cause bad breath, but one of the main reasons is poor oral hygiene. Food particles will get stuck in between your teeth, and along the gum line throughout the day. If these food particles aren’t removed regularly, it will lead to bad breath.
Please be aware that bad breath due to poor oral hygiene can be a sign of gum disease. This will need to be treated immediately to stop any long term damage. If you think this may be the case, we suggest getting in touch with your dentist.
Other causes of Bad breath include;
- Smoking – smoking will leave a stale smell in your mouth, causing bad breath. Smoking is bad for your overall mouth health and something we would recommend avoiding completely.
- Food and drink – certain foods have strong odours and leave your breath smelling of what you just ate. These include foods such as onion, and garlic and drinks like coffee and alcohol. This is usually temporary and will ease after a few hours.
- Dry Mouth – saliva production in your mouth helps to breakdown and remove food particles that cause bad breath. Salvia production slows down throughout the night, which is why a lot of people may wake up with ‘morning breath’. However, when you eat again, saliva should start being produced again.
- Some people may not produce saliva as normal. In these cases, we recommend talking to your dentist or GP.
- Medications – certain medications can cause bad breath due to dry mouth. Others may cause a chemical release which can be smelt on your breath.
- Other Medical Conditions – nose and throat infections can lead to bad breath such as a sinus infection and bronchitis. Other infections can cause a postnasal drip, which too can cause bad breath.
Treatment for Bad Breath
We understand that bad breath can be embarrassing. In most cases however, bad breath can be eliminated by working on a few areas. The simplest and most impactful way to eliminate bad breath is through your oral hygiene;
- Brush your teeth twice a day
- Floss once a day
- Scrape your tongue every day
Find out other ways to ensure you have a healthy oral hygiene in our previous blog ‘Keeping your Teeth in Good Health‘.
Other ways to get rid of bad breath include;
- Drinking plenty of water every day
- Stop smoking if you are a smoker
- Watch what you eat. Take notice of the foods that cause bad breath, and reduce your intake of them.
If you find that bad breath persists, and are worried it could be due to gum disease, it may be time to see your dentist for further investigation into the cause. You may need a deep clean to remove plaque and bacteria causing the issue.
If you have any questions in relation to bad breath, and how to treat, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today.