Top Causes of Bad Breath and How to Fix It
Everyone wants to avoid bad breath. That’s why there are thousands of gums, mints, and breath strips promising to fix it.
The problem is that these quick fixes only mask persistent bad breath, or halitosis. To fix the problem for good, you have to dig deeper and treat the root cause.
Poor oral hygiene is the leading culprit for your bad breath. Usually, making some changes to your diet, lifestyle, and dental care routine is all it takes to banish the problem for good.
In some cases, certain health conditions contribute to bad breath. If changing up your oral hygiene regimen doesn’t help, you should visit your dentist or physician to determine if bad breath is itself the problem, or is a symptom of a more serious problem.
Habits Causing Your Bad Breath
Most bad breath starts and ends with what you put in your mouth. Poor dental hygiene habits, eating certain foods, and use of tobacco products are all habits within your control that contribute to bad breath.
Poor Dental Hygiene
Plaque is a form of bacteria that sticks to your teeth and tongue. Regular brushing and flossing rid your mouth of the plaque that causes a bad odour. Make sure you’re brushing your teeth at least twice a day and flossing at least once.
Plaque build-up has several side effects that are worse than bad breath. If plaque gets into your gums or deeper into your teeth, it can cause infection, periodontitis, and tooth decay too.
Food
Certain foods, like garlic and onions, are known to cause bad breath. After your body digests these foods, they travel through your bloodstream. When they reach your lungs, you breathe out the odour.
Food particles that you neglect to brush or floss away also cause bad breath. As the food particles on your teeth break down, they increase the bad bacteria in your mouth, which, as we explained above, causes bad breath.
Tobacco Products
Smoking and using tobacco products increase your gum recession and make you more likely to develop gum disease. Since gum disease is caused by plaque build-up, bad breath is an unpleasant side effect.
Medical Conditions Causing Bad Breath
Sometimes, your bad breath is an indirect result of a medical condition. Examples include:
Dry Mouth
Chronic dry mouth, or xerostomia, is a condition that inhibits saliva production. Saliva washes odour-causing bacteria out of your mouth, hence why a lack of it makes you more prone to bad breath.
Mouth Infections
If you’re experiencing bad breath in conjunction with gum swelling or tooth pain, you may have an infection from oral surgery, tooth decay, gum disease, or mouth sores.
Other Conditions
There are a handful of other medical conditions that increase the bacteria in your mouth and lead to bad breath. These include tonsil stones, metabolic disorders, and acid reflux.
Time to Visit Your Dentist
Bad breath is caused by bacteria build-up in your mouth, and bacteria build-up can be easily reversed with a healthy oral hygiene routine. If you’re experiencing bad breath that won’t go away, make an appointment with your dentist in Frenchs Forest for a professional cleaning and tips to remedy the problem.
To make an appointment at Northern Beaches Dental, call our office on 02 9190 6925.