Halitosis or bad breath may be a minor dental issue, but it can be embarrassing to anyone. it must be treated sooner rather than later. If you did not seek treatment in a timely manner, it would even lead to other dental problems. In general, it occurs due to buildup of bacteria in the mouth. And when the bacteria stay inside your oral cavity longer than desired, a foul smell is produced. However, bad breath is a treatable problem and its treatment must be started immediately after the causes are identified.
Halitosis Causes
It’s often the lack of proper oral care that leads to bad breath. When your oral care is poor, it allows accumulation of bad breath bacteria, leading to formation of plaque. In other cases, food choices may also cause halitosis and some people may also face bad breath problem due to dehydration, stress etc.
Here are some of major causes of halitosis –
Poor oral hygiene – Lack of complete oral care is easily the most obvious case of bad breath. If you don’t brush, floss, rinse mouth or clean your tongue daily, this might help in build up of plaque around the gumline and back of your tongue.
Tobacco use – Using tobacco in any form is one of major risk factors for halitosis. If you smoke, it’s sure to leave you with a stinking breath. The chemicals found in tobacco, coupled with poor oral hygiene followed by users or smokers, often cause bad breath issue.
Food choice – Your oral health is dependent a lot on what you eat. Some foods are bad for your teeth and gums while some can lead to bad breath, even if temporarily. For example, eating garlic or onions can make your breath stink but it subsides soon with oral care.
Dry mouth – Dry mouth indicates lack of saliva production in the mouth. This can hamper the ability to scrub away plaque, bacteria and leftover food residue from the mouth. And if all this are allowed t stay inside the mouth, they can cause the breath to stink.
Medical condition – some underlying medical conditions, such as stress or use of certain drugs, could also cause bad breath. In such cases, it’s always advisable to seek dentist’s consultation and prevent the problem from deteriorating further.
Halitosis Remedies
Bad breath is not a serious problem if you seek treatment for it in a timely manner. In fact, you can follow oral care and stay on top of your dental health easily.
Let’s look at some of bad breath remedies –
- Brush, floss, and rinse on a daily basis as it stops plaque bacteria formation inside the mouth
- Use a mouthwash after every meal to fight bad breath
- Rinse your mouth to not let odor-causing elements in food harm your any further
- Cut back the consumption of tea, coffee, wine, sport juices or acidic juices
- Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water through the day
- Chew sugarless gum to help in saliva production so that your breath is fresh and free of odor
- Floss daily to stop food particles getting stuck between the teeth and lead to bad breath
- Brush twice a day, once in the morning and then before sleeping, to stop formation of plaque bacteria
Halitosis Treatments
Bad breath is preventable if your have identified the causes and started precautions in a timely manner. As soon as you find a stink in your breath which persists longer than it should, there is a need to consult the dentist for treatment.
Bad breath treatment often involves –
- Visit a dentist for oral check up so that the causes are known before starting the treatment
- The dentist will help only if the problem is caused by oral issues not due to other health conditions
- You will be recommend a thorough oral care routine to prevent plaque and bacteria from causing harm
- In some cases, family dental of bayside may also advise using a mouthwash to fight off bacteria and help freshen your teeth
- If the problem is chronic is nature, then mouthwash won’t help and rather an antimicrobial rinse is needed
- The treatment will focus on keeping bacteria at bay so that the bad breath problem goes away easily
