Has wearing a mask throughout the day made you more aware of your bad breath? Bad breath, or halitosis, is an embarrassing condition. If you don’t treat it at its source, your efforts of mints and chewing gum can be quite futile. Chronic halitosis goes beyond “garlic breath” after eating Italian or the common morning breath that we all experience when waking up. Patients who suffer from bad breath on a daily basis, regardless of what they’ve eaten or if they’ve brushed that morning, should consider working with a dentist to get to the root cause. In some cases, bad breath can be a warning sign of something more serious going on in your mouth or your body.

Causes of Bad Breath

Dry Mouth: A dry mouth is not only uncomfortable, but it means that you aren’t producing enough saliva to wash away bacteria and neutralize acids in your mouth. Therefore, more bacteria will break down dead cells on the tongue, which emits a foul “sulfur” odor. Dry mouth can be caused by a variety of factors, including certain medical conditions or prescriptions.

Poor Oral Hygiene: When food debris is allowed to stay trapped in your teeth, bacteria builds up and triggers an odor-producing cycle along your smile. In addition, many patients forget to brush their tongue, which is where millions of bacteria reside.

Crash Diets and Fasting: There are times when your effort to lose weight will backfire and cause bad breath. Fasting and diets signal the body to break down fats, which also releases ketones. Unfortunately, this process can also create an unpleasant breath odor, which some describe as fruity.

Gum Disease: Halitosis can also be a symptom of gum disease. This is why it is especially important to seek out your dentist for bad breath treatment. Untreated gum disease could compromise your smile and your systemic health. If you notice red, puffy or bleeding gums along with your bad breath, this is a strong indication that gum disease is the culprit.

Remedies for Bad Breath

At Soft Touch Dentistry, we can treat your halitosis. Depending on the cause of your bad breath, we may recommend the following:

• Professional Teeth Cleaning
• Better Oral Hygiene
• Increasing Water Intake
• Adjusting Diet
• Gum Disease Therapy
• Dry Mouth Treatment

As always, we are happy to work with your primary care physician if your halitosis seems to be coming from a medical condition, such as uncontrolled diabetes. If your battle with bad breath seems futile, give us a call. We never want our patients to be too embarrassed to discuss bad breath, as this can be a way that your body is crying for help.