It is common for people of all ages to have bad breath, whether it is based on the type of diet they have or the type of oral hygiene they practice daily. Regardless of the reason, there is a solution to it. There are a few ways to identify the source of bad breath, and there are various treatments for those reasons, as we will get into.
What are some ways to prevent bad breath?
- Making sure you clean your teeth at least twice a day correctly can help improve your mouth odor. Ensuring that you brush, floss, and scrape your tongue are all valuable and important steps to good oral hygiene. But, to make sure that you get that all around clean, make sure to use a mouth rinse to get to those hard-to-clean areas.
- Make sure that you visit the dentist at least twice a year (every 6 months) to ensure that you are getting a deeper clean from a professional. This practice can also be beneficial in making sure there are no underlying issues going on in your gums, jaw, or neck.
Can what I eat or drink affect the odor of my breath?
- The consumption of alcohol or drinks with caffeine can lead to decreased production of saliva, which causes dry mouth. Without saliva washing away at bad bacteria, it lets it build up in the mouth, which eventually causes a bad odor.
- Strong spices and flavorful foods can also cause bad breath. When consuming foods like garlic and onions, it has a strong odor that stains your mouth. Eating sweets before bed can also dry out your mouth and let bacteria build up inside your mouth overnight, leading to really strong morning breath.
Can smoking affect the odor of my breath?
When partaking in any kind of smoking, it can cause your salivary glands to react and not produce saliva in the right amount. This then causes dry mouth, which lets that bacteria grow inside. Also, the odor from the smoke is coming from your lungs as well, so it moves back up your esophagus and into your mouth as well.
Can illness or disease be a cause of the odor of my breath?
Digestive issues like having GERD are when the acids from your stomach come back up the esophagus and start to irritate it. This also causes dehydration, which is another cause of dry mouth. With both of these factors in play, it makes it easier for bacteria to collect inside your mouth.
Diabetes makes your blood sugar levels inconsistent, which causes the body to break down acids incorrectly and leaves a foul odor.
A sinus infection can have the mucus from your nose drip down into your esophagus, which then causes the bacteria to build up as well. This becomes hard to reach since it is building up in the back of your throat.
Make sure you do yourself a favor and visit the dentist twice a year to help scan for these illnesses and diseases in the body, but also to practice good oral hygiene.
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