Halitosis / Bad Breath

Halitosis / Bad Breath

First things first is diagnosing the reason behind your bad breath before it can be properly treated.  Provided you are consistent on visiting your dentist every 6 months, you eliminate a lot of the common dental related issues that can also cause bad breath such as periodontal or gum disease which is an infection of the gums.  Cavities or tooth decay can also cause bad breath if it causes a problem with food and bacteria getting caught and stuck in the area.  Tonsil stones, sinus drainage smoking and lack of saliva can play a role as well.  

Treatment of Halitosis / Bad Breath

• Basic Oral Hygiene (brush twice, floss once per day)
• include the tongue, roof of your mouth and inside of cheeks

• Tongue Scraping
• Easy to use, painless and scrapes all the plaque and debris that collects on your tongue.

• Here's just one design.  Some are just a piece of plastic with small plastic teeth on the edge to literally scrape along your tongue.  It's like a back scratcher for your tongue!

• Drink plenty of water.  Saliva plays a big part in keeping your mouth clean.  Medications can further wreck havoc by causing dry mouth.  Keep hydrated!

• Chew on sugar free gum.  It will help produce saliva and help keep your breath fresh.

• If you have a denture, retainer or night-guard that you wear make sure you are keeping it clean as well.  Dentures should be taken out at night to allow your tissues to breathe.  Bring any of these appliances with you to your 6 month appointments and we will gladly give them a check-up and cleaning as well!

Any further questions or thoughts?  Please leave a message in the comments!  Also, if you have any recommended topics for the future suggestions are welcome.