We all know the pains of bad breath. We’ve all woken up and been slammed in the face with someone’s morning breath at some point or another. While morning breath is something that nobody wants to deal with, there are many of us that suffer from severe, chronic bad breath – also known as halitosis.
So what causes this halitosis and bad breath?
There are a number of factors that can contribute to your consistent bad breath:
- Periodontal disease – Unhealthy gums provide a medium for bacteria to reproduce and multiply. If you notice a persistent bad taste in your mouth, or that people are shying away from you when you speak to them, a likely culprit is gingivitis, which if not treated can advance to periodontal gum disease.
- Tobacco use – Tobacco is a guarantee of bad breath
- What you eat, or don’t eat – foods such as garlic elicits immediate effects, but garlic is also absorbed in your bloodstream. The smell is expelled through your breath and remains there until the body processes the food.
- Dry Mouth – With dry mouth, there is not enough saliva to wash away excess food particles and bacteria which then can build up on the teeth and produce the unpleasant bad breath smell. Drinking alcoholic beverages may promote a dry mouth and cause bad breath.
- Infections – bad breath with no cause may indicate something going on in another part of your body. If you are a sufferer of chronic bad breath and after seeing Dr. Amin there is no explanation, see your primary care physician for an evaluation. Bad breath can be a symptom of a variety of serious non-oral health problems including liver disease, HIV, diabetes, digestive system ailments such as reflux and even lung infections. It’s important if Dr. Amin rules out any oral problems that you do not ignore the problem and see your PCP.
How to prevent bad breath
The top preventative measures you can take to fight your bad breath are first, following a thorough oral care routine including twice-daily tooth brushing and daily flossing and second, a healthy diet. Mouthwashes typically only mask the problem and do so for a short period of time.
- People who are following extremely low carbohydrate diets, or any restrictive diet, may be promoting bad breath. If you must restrict your food intake and eat infrequently, drink plenty of water to help maintain the level of saliva in your mouth to help prevent bad breath.
- Flossing daily helps improve bad breath by effectively removing food particles and bacteria that contribute to your bad breath. That makes flossing one of the easiest ways to prevent and banish bad breath.
Keep these points in mind as part of your daily oral hygiene routine and staying away from bad breath:
- Keep your toothbrush fresh – Be sure to replace your toothbrush every 3-4 months
- Drink plenty of water – keeping your mouth moist will help minimize the amount of bacteria in your mouth. With dryer mouths, you are more susceptible to plaque build up which can create an unpleasant smell on your breath.
- With periodontal disease, ensure that you are visiting Dr. Amin more frequently.
- Brushing your tongue, or even the use of tongue scrapers can help minimize your bad breath
Make sure to regularly visit Dr. Amin for your routine check up and cleaning appointments to keep up with oral hygiene. Give our office a call today to get scheduled! Learn more about the dangers of and solutions to sleep apnea.