Dealing With Chronic Bad Breath

Bad breath is one of the largest dental related problems in the world. Bad breath can be uncomfortable for you, your family and anyone else who spends time around you. Often it is easily treated and can usually be prevented through simple brushing, flossing, and the use of mouthwashes.

What causes bad breath?

Most cases of bad breath are caused by poor dental hygiene and a poor diet. Some foods, such as garlic, onion or greasy fast foods can give you very strong smelling, unpleasant breath. Smoking, coffee and red wine are known to both colour your teeth and turn the smell of your breath sour.

If you neglect to clean your teeth properly, then food particles and plaque can build up in your mouth. This causes bacterial growth on and around the teeth, gums and tongue, which cause nasty smelling odours. Even if you do brush regularly, you may still experience bad breath if you neglect to floss. Brushing alone doesn’t remove the food particles that are trapped between the teeth, it leaves them there to rot and increase bacteria growth. In the same way, as if you wear dentures or some other dental implant, they must be cleaned properly, every day to prevent smells.

The other main causes of bad breath are medical in origin. If you have perfect dental hygiene, but still have bad breath that you can’t seem to get rid of, then it could be time to see a dentist or a doctor. It can be a sign of gum disease, which can be serious if left untreated. Cavities, yeast infections of the mouth or a dry mouth can also all cause a bad smelling breath. These are just some of the many diseases, which can cause bad breath.

How should you deal with bad breath?

Obviously the first step in dealing with bad breath is to ensure that you have impeccable dental hygiene. This involves brushing your teeth at least twice per day, flossing at least once a day and using a mouthwash regularly. If you still struggle with bad breath even after doing these things for a few days, then try some of the following strategies:

• Stop smoking, drink less coffee and cut back on drinking red wine.
• Get your teeth checked by the dentist.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Record the foods you eat for a week and take the record with you to your dentist to look at.

Whatever the cause of your bad breath, your local dentist should be able to help you. Get in touch with them today to find out more.