Reasons for Bad Breath
Getting bad breath can be caused by many reasons.
Poor oral hygiene
The main reason for bad breath is poor oral hygiene. Experts say there are two factors involved — the buildup of odour causing bacteria in your throat and food particles becoming lodged between your teeth.
It is normal to have morning breath after a night’s sleep. However, it is essential to brush and floss in the morning.
Dry mouth
Dry mouth occurs when the salivary glands do not produce enough saliva, causing your mouth to dry up. This creates the optimal environment for bacteria to form in place of saliva. For older people, the culprit can often be the kind of medications they take.
The use of tobacco
Using tobacco products is one of the other reasons that people can suffer from halitosis. Of course, as your dental practitioner, we recommend that you quit using all of these products. Smoking tobacco products include cigarettes and cigars.
Smoking, of course, can cause a variety of health issues like cancer. Even chewing tobacco can cause lesions in your mouth which can lead to malignancy.
Diet
Have you ever heard someone should not eat garlic before a date? Ever wonder why they say that? Foods like onions and garlic contribute to foul breath odours. These foods contain sulfur compounds which give food their distinctive flavour. They also release certain gasses when cut and mingle with bacteria. After you consume and digest these foods, they enter your bloodstream, are carried to your lungs and affect your breath.
Postnasal drip
Another common cause is postnasal drip. This is when bacteria break down mucus secretions from your nose and throat. This directly causes bad breath, especially for those who have sinusitis.
How Does Bad Breath Affect You?
It is bad enough to have bad breath due to the embarrassment it causes. However, there are other spillover consequences. Having bad breath can also cause health problems. If you have bad breath, you run a risk of developing gum disease and sinus infections. The toxic bacteria that are left to fester in the mouth, irritate the gums, eventually resulting in gingivitis or periodontitis.
How to Get Rid of Bad Breath?
By now, you should know the importance of dental care in curbing foul breath. If you have bad breath, review your oral hygiene habits. Below are some natural practices you can teach to get rid of this issue.
You should brush and floss twice a day - once in the morning and once before bed. Brushing in the morning helps to get rid of morning breath. Brushing at night helps eliminate bacteria and food particles that may have lodged in your teeth and gums throughout the day. Flossing or using an interdental cleaner helps to further alleviate the stubborn food particles in between teeth.
You should also use soft-bristled brushes when brushing to remove dirt while protecting your enamel. This also helps to keep tooth decay and periodontal disease at bay.
A dental tool that can be used to take your oral health to another level is the use of tongue scrapers. By scraping your tongue, bacteria residing on the tongue can be reduced, improving the state of your bad breath.
Brushing your teeth is incomplete without fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride toothpaste is useful in preventing cavities in the teeth and reversing early signs of teeth decay. An additional step in your routine could be using antibacterial mouthwash after brushing and flossing. This gives a fresh breath, masking the foul breath.
Drinking plenty of water prevents the risk of getting dry mouth. This is why you should keep your mouth moist. Drinking water has a small amount of fluoride in them which help strengthen the enamel in your teeth.
If you have sinus infections, you should use a saline nasal wash. It helps restore moisture to dry nasal passages which can help alleviate this problem.
Since smoking contributes to bad breath, quitting smoking or consuming tobacco products can help rid it.
Come to us to fix this problem.
After reading this, we hope you can now pinpoint the reason for your bad breath. If you are tackling this problem, you should attempt to change your diet, lifestyle or dental care. If you still are unable to solve your bad breath, do not hesitate to call our Nuffield Dental Siglap branch to fix an appointment with our skilled dentists to help solve this problem.
Although bad breath is a problem that can be solved at home, it may indicate severe dental problems. This is why you are recommended to visit us twice a year for a bi-yearly check-up for scaling and polishing and address any dental issues early.
If you have not seen us this year, the time is now! Call us to book an appointment.
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