What Causes Bad Breath?

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What Causes Bad Breath?

Hi! I’m Dr Stefanie. I’m the associate dentist here at Lifestyle Smiles in Brighton Melbourne.

One of the main reasons husbands are sent by wives, against their will, to the dentist is due to bad breath. Bad breath can be embarrassing and annoying. No wonder chewing gum and mouthwash sell so well at the supermarket. But did you know that these products don’t cure the cause of the bad breath? And bad breath, can be cured?

The most common cause of bad breath is your diet. Poor choices of food, lack of nutrition, can increase the volume of bad bacteria in your body and cause a foul odour. Of course, foods such as onions, garlic and tobacco are naturally accountable for bad breath.

Another important and prevalent factor for bad breath is poor dental hygiene. If you don’t brush and floss daily, and leave food behind, these foods can rot and can cause bad breath. But what a lot of people don’t actually realise, that even by brushing and flossing daily, you cannot eliminate all of the plaque in your mouth. Some plaque can be trapped underneath the gum which cannot be adequately cleaned away. That’s why 6 monthly dental cleans preferably by a hygienist is so important.

In addition, if you have dry mouth, or you’re on some medications that can cause dry mouth. This is also a common cause for bad breath. You see, saliva helps cleanse your mouth. So without adequate saliva production, you will inevitably get bad breath. An interesting fact that you may not know is that when you sleep, your salivary production is usually at its lowest, that’s why a lot of people get bad breath in the mornings, so-called “morning breath”, and that’s why brushing and flossing your teeth before you go to bed is probably the most important habit you should develop, to keep your teeth clean during the 8 hours that you’re most prone to bacterial infection.

Another major cause of bad breath is infections in your mouth! As dentists, we see every day a dead tooth producing infection that oozes through the gums. You may not see it, or feel any pain from it because most chronic infections are actually dormant and asymptomatic. So getting your dentist to check it out is always a good idea.

So these are the main causes of bad breath. Of course, other causes such as tonsil stones, inflammation of the nose, infection of the sinus or throat, some cancer, metabolic disorders, reflux of the stomach acids, can all be associated with bad breath.

So if you have any symptoms of bad breath, and you want to have that sorted, simply complete the form on the website, give us a call, or send us a direct message on social media, and we will help you organise your appointment. See you in the next video.

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Note: All content and media on the Lifestyle Smiles website and social media channels are created and published online for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice.