Having halitosis or bad breath may be an embarrassing issue, but it affects millions of people. Often to fight against bad breath, people rely on mints, gums, mouthwashes, and breath sprays. These are temporary solutions, but we can help you get rid of your bad breath with a little investigation! Anyone can temporarily have bad breath. When you have morning breath, eat onions, or drink coffee, you have bad breath. Some people have chronic bad breath, it’s important for us to discuss a solution and find the underlying cause.
Causes of Bad Breath
Commonly the cause of bad breath is trapped food that becomes oral bacteria. The majority of the time, this is located on the back of the tongue. Large amounts of bacteria can live at the back of your tongue and feed off of dead skin, food leavings, and mucus. Often this causes your breath and the bacteria to have a smell that closely mimics rotten eggs. Bacteria can also get stuck under your gums, between your teeth, or in your dental appliances.
There are other conditions that may cause your breath to smell bad. Often sinuses or bronchial infections can cause halitosis. Oral yeast infections, diabetes, kidney failure, liver dysfunction, chronically dry mouth, and certain medications are additional medical reasons for bad breath. External causes of bad breath include tobacco use, stress, diet, and hormonal changes. The best and easiest way to avoid bad breath is to maintain good oral hygiene.
Dental Care For Bad Breath
The best place to find a solution to your bad breath is a dentist! We’re happy to help you get to the bottom of the situation and find a solution. We’ll do a detailed review and recommend a suitable treatment. Your treatment may include the following:
Guided instruction of oral hygiene. Sometimes your bad breath can be due to improper dental hygiene. We might help by offering a demonstration on how to floss and brush efficiently or how to clean your dentures. A tongue scraper is an awesome tool that some people overlook! We can help show you how to use a scraper to clean the back of your tongue.
Routine professional dental cleanings & exams. When you get your smile routinely cleaned by a dentist, we can reach bacteria, deposits, and food that could become trapped. We use special tools that clean better than the average toothbrush, floss, or scraper can. Regular exams and tooth cleanings are a terrific way to maintain a good, healthy smile and keep your breath smelling great.
Treating tooth decay. Cavities can be a big cause of bad breath. We’ll need to fill them or replace the old fillings.
Gum disease treatment. When you have gum disease that’s moderately far along, your gums and teeth can separate. Little gaps or pockets can be created, and bacteria can grow in those. Gum disease may benefit from periodontal therapy. We’ll deep clean the roots of your teeth, may use antibiotics to treat them, and in extreme cases, surgery.
Treatment for additional infections. If you have an infection causing bad breath, you should seek out treatment from a medical professional specializing in that area. We’re happy to help you rule out any oral infection or dental cause of your bad breath.
