When it comes to bad breath (or technically halitosis), it can be an embarrassing topic to discuss. If you\u2019re the one with bad breath, you don\u2019t want to bring it up. If you\u2019re around someone with bad breath, it can be awkward to bring it up.<\/p>\n
Sometimes people don\u2019t even realise that a dentist can help take care of this issue.<\/p>\n
An estimated 80% of bad breath cases can be taken care of through a dentist because most are oral issues. However, the remaining 20% of bad breath cases could mean other health problems that can seem completely unrelated, but are in fact the cause.<\/p>\n
So here are seven possible causes for your bad breath and how you can fix it\u2026<\/p>\n
1 – Oral hygiene.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>If you\u2019re not brushing at least twice a day and\u00a0flossing once a day, you should reconsider \u2013 because bad breath is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to problems created by poor dental hygiene. When you don\u2019t brush after eating, food particles in your mouth lead to bacterial growth, causing you to develop bad breath and eventually all sorts of other mouth-related nastiness, like gum disease.<\/p>\n But brushing doesn\u2019t get everything, and when you skip your\u00a0nightly flossing, you\u2019re missing those food particles that get stuck between your teeth and gums. Left unattended, they can cause not only bacterial growth and bad breath, but also gum problems.<\/p>\n \u00a02 –\u00a0<\/strong>Food choices.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>We all know that eating onions, fish, garlic and other pungent foods will lead to instant bad breath. And sadly, a thorough brushing won\u2019t always undo the smelly breath that these foods cause. What you may not realise is that when you eat\u00a0foods with strong odours, you\u2019re probably going to be stuck with the bad breath they cause until they\u2019ve passed through your system!<\/p>\n Digestion begins when food starts to break down in your mouth, and foods like garlic can cause bad breath and off-putting bodily scents until they’re completely digested. So unless you\u2019re okay with swearing off odorous foods for good, be prepared to deal with the stubborn smells they cause.<\/p>\n 3- Dry mouth.<\/strong><\/p>\n Most people aren\u2019t aware that a dry mouth can lead to bad breath. This occurs when you\u2019re not making enough saliva to combat the acids caused by plaque, and it also allows the dead cells that naturally collect on your tongue, cheeks, and gums to build up. When your saliva doesn\u2019t wash this build-up away, all those cells start to decompose, causing your breath to smell.<\/p>\n Talk to your doctor so you can rule out any medications as the culprit. And if your meds aren\u2019t to blame, a dry mouth can also be caused by salivary gland issues and breathing through your mouth. Also, while this isn\u2019t a long-term solution to a dry mouth, sugar-free gums and mints can help boost saliva production.<\/p>\n 4 – Gum disease.<\/strong><\/p>\n Chronic bad breath could be a\u00a0sign of gum disease. This develops when the bacteria that forms in your mouth as a result of plaque build-up on your teeth results in toxins that aggravate your gums. If you think gum disease could be what\u2019s behind your bad breath, talk to your dentist ASAP. If left untreated, gum disease can lead to serious damage of your gums and even jawbone.<\/p>\n 5 – Illness\/sinus problems.<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019re sick, or you have regular sinus problems, don\u2019t be surprised if your breath is a little bit off. Acid reflux, bronchitis, and\u00a0sinus infections\u00a0are just a few of the illnesses that could be causing your bad breath. Once you\u2019re back to normal, your breath should be too.<\/p>\n 6 – Tobacco products.<\/strong><\/p>\n Obviously, if you smoke cigarettes or cigars on a regular basis, you\u2019re going to have bad breath on a regular basis too. There\u2019s really no way around it. On top of that, smoking also stains your teeth and irritates your gums. At the end of the day, no amount of mouthwash and toothpaste can fix tobacco breath.<\/p>\n 7 – Water consumption.<\/strong><\/p>\n This is just one more reason for you to drink more water. Not only is it good for your body, it\u2019s good for your breath. Keeping your mouth moisturised prevents all that bacteria we were talking about above from collecting on the surfaces of your mouth and stinking up your breath.<\/p>\n So bad breath is kind of embarrassing, but it\u2019s something we\u2019ve all dealt with at some point in our lives, and it ties directly to your oral health. Take care of your teeth and gums, go to your dental appointments, stay hydrated, and you should see positive results.<\/strong><\/p>\n However, if nothing seems to fix your bad breath, then it could be a side effect of a non-oral condition. If you think this might be the case, make an appointment to talk to your doctor about it. You don\u2019t want to ignore what your body might be trying to tell you.<\/p>\n And if you\u2019re interested in booking yourself in for an appointment, or you\u2019re just looking for more general oral hygiene advice, then give us a call on 020 8088 2079<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When it comes to bad breath (or technically halitosis), it can be an embarrassing topic to discuss. If you\u2019re the one with bad breath, you don\u2019t want to bring it up. If you\u2019re around someone with bad breath, it can be awkward to bring it up. Sometimes people don\u2019t even realise that a dentist can … Continue reading Why do I have bad breath? Here are 7 possible reasons.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=720"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/720\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}