Understanding Treatments for Bad Breath

Oral health is an extremely important part of life that few people take seriously. Poor hygiene can lead to serious problems, pain in your mouth, and hundreds of dollars to fix those problems. Some complications in your mouth don’t seem as severe as others, like bad breath. But that could be your mouth hinting at bigger problems.

Having bad breath is embarrassing. It can turn a normally social person into a quiet person that stands off to the side. It’s important that you understand the causes and treatments for bad breath. Don’t let foul smelling breath keep you from enjoying time with your friends and family. There are some simple solutions.

The Causes of Bad Breath

Bad breath is more formally known as halitosis, and it can be the side effect of several of different things, some of them are minor while others can be more serious.

The food that you eat is going to have a huge impact on how your breath smells. If you eat a lot of onions or garlic, that could be the main cause of the odor. Sometimes, even serious brushing, flossing, and mouthwash might not be powerful enough to kick the odor, just cover it up for a while. The easiest course of action is to drop the smelly foods. Once you put down the onions, you should notice that you have fresher smelling breath in a couple of days or a week.

Poor hygiene could also be the root of the smelly breath problem. If you aren’t taking care of your teeth and gums like you should be, it could be causing the odor. If you don’t brush regularly or well enough, there could be food particles that are building around your teeth. As the food sits in your mouth, it decays and bacterium builds on your tongue and in-between your teeth. This is one of the most common causes of bad breath. Luckily, the solution is simple – proper oral health. Using an antibacterial mouthwash, brushing your teeth, and flossing your teeth regularly will not only improve your overall oral health, but it can also eliminate any bad smells from your mouth, it’s a win-win scenario.

There are also a few more serious conditions that could be causing your bad breath. Your bad breath could be a symptom of xerostomia, which in simple terms is chronic dry mouth. Most people don’t realize it, but saliva is an important part of your mouth. It’s responsible for neutralizing the acids in your mouth and washing away the dead cells that build up inside of your mouth. If you have a condition that hinders your mouth’s ability to produce saliva, that means there is a lot of build up inside of your mouth and the cells are decomposing and causing your bad breath. Your dry mouth could be the side effect of medications that you’re taking, an illness, or just constant breathing through your mouth.

Don’t automatically discount your bad breath as a simple side effect of not brushing enough or eating too many onions, it could be a symptom of a much larger problem. Having bad breath could be the sign of serious health problems like diabetes, acid reflux, kidney problems, liver problems, pneumonia, or several other complications.

Solutions to your Bad Breath

Luckily, in most cases fixing your bad breath is easy. A few simple oral health changes can make a world of difference. Not only will it help give your breath a new odor, but it can also restore the confidence you’ve lost because of your foul smelling mouth.

The first tip is obvious, good oral hygiene. It’s something that your dentist is going to tell you every time. Make sure you are brushing at least twice a day with quality toothpaste and are brushing every section of your mouth and also brushing your tongue. Additionally, you should be flossing in-between teeth at least once a day. Usually before bed is the best time to floss those places that your toothbrush isn’t getting. If your regular brushing and flossing isn’t helping, schedule a professional teeth cleaning to get the bacteria you’re missing. If you use dentures, make sure that you are cleaning them regularly as well.

If you use tobacco, it’s time to kick those bad habits, your breath and those around you will thank you. Smoking cigarettes or using chewing tobacco could be making your breath unbearable for everyone else. Sure it isn’t easy, but having nice smelling breath is worth the sacrifice.

Write down everything that you eat. As we mentioned, your bad breath could just be because of something you’re eating. Even though you might not realize it, you could be eating something that is causing that disturbing odor every time you open your mouth. Track your meals and snacks for a week and see if you notice a connection between what you’re eating and the smell of your mouth. If you find the correlation, cut those foods out.

Fighting bad breath? Maybe you aren’t drinking enough water. As we mentioned, dry mouth is one of the common causes of bad breath, so it’s time to stay hydrated. Keep a bottle of water with you as much as possible and make sure that you sip on it throughout the day. Not only will it help your breath, but water also improves your health as well.

Bad Breath? No Problem

Even if you don’t know the cause of your bad breath, simply chewing gum, mints, or mouthwash can mask those smells, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore those odors. If you have bad breath, it’s important that you visit your dentist (which you should be doing regularly) and determine the source of your bad breath. Don’t ever ignore the signals your mouth is sending you.

If you’re suffering from constant bad breath, Dr. Goldsmith will be happy to help you in any way possible. We offer dozens of services to cure your bad breath and much more. We are committed to providing quality care for our patients to ensure excellent oral health. Call us today or use our contact form to set up an appointment.