Bad Breath
We have all been there—whether it’s right after you wake up, after your morning coffee or perhaps a spicy meal, when you wake up, or maybe when you’re sick—you start to talk, and whoever you’re talking to backs away. We have all been victims of bad breath at some point in our lives. Bad breath, also called halitosis, is a condition that affects millions of people nationwide every single day. Generally, bad breath is caused by bacteria in the mouth, but can have a variety of origins. Below are a few reasons you may be experiencing bad breath.
Poor Oral Hygiene
Poor oral hygiene is the most common cause of bad breath. When you don’t take proper care of your oral health by regularly brushing and flossing your teeth and making trips to the dentist, you could be failing to clean off bacteria and sugar which can cause decay. The saliva in your mouth often helps wash away bacteria that cause halitosis. However, during sleep, your glands reduce saliva production, which allows bacteria to build up and create more potential for bad breath. This is where “morning breath” comes from.
Poor oral hygiene can also lead to gingivitis and gum disease. Bacteria under your gums associated with gingivitis and gum disease will often lead to halitosis. This is just one more reason to keep up on proper dental health. Flossing is the best thing you can do to fight gum disease, aside from getting your teeth and gums checked regularly by a dentist. If you don’t like to floss, you can invest in a Waterpik, which uses a stream of water to clean between your teeth rather than traditional dental floss.
Dry Mouth
Dry mouth caused by illness, dehydration, and smoking can cause bad breath as well. The reason for this is mentioned above—a lack of saliva washing away the bacteria in your mouth allows them to grow and multiply, making your breath worse. Smoking can leave your breath smelling like tobacco products, but these products also lead to tooth decay and oral health problems, which causes the progression of halitosis. Certain medications may cause dry mouth as well. To combat dry mouth, consider a saliva-activating mouth rinse such as Biotène®.