Here's What You Can Do to Remedy Chronic Bad Breath

Dental hygiene is often overlooked, and a common result is bad breath. About 30% of people complain about bad breath, and estimates reveal that one in four people deal with bad breath, making it one of the most common reasons for dental checkups behind tooth decay and gum disease. While there are plenty of mints, mouthwashes, and gums to mask the problem, none of these actually help remedy the condition.

Let’s examine what you can do to treat halitosis. Residents of Marmaroneck, New York, and Stanford, Connecticut, with halitosis and other dental conditions can find help from Dr. Gennadiy Kravets and the skilled medical staff at All Bright Dental.

Understanding bad breath

Bad breath is often the result of bacteria that grow inside the mouth. The bacteria from various foods and particles can create sulfurous compounds that cause the unpleasant stench of halitosis. It is a problem that leads to anxiety for many people, especially in social or personal settings. And people with bad breath may not know it because they don’t smell it themselves. 

Causes of bad breath

Many factors can cause temporary bad breath (foods, drink, medications), but chronic bad breath is often the result of systemic issues, like:

• Poor dental hygiene: a common cause, bad hygiene can lead to particles building up in your mouth and creating an environment for bacteria to thrive
• Tobacco products: tobacco creates an unpleasant odor  and also increases the risks of gum diseases, which also causes halitosis
• Dry mouth: saliva is an important part of how your mouth clears particles, and dry mouth reduces its production
• Infections: any kind of infection in the mouth can lead to bad breath, whether it comes from tooth decay, injury, gum disease, oral surgery, or extraction
• Medical conditions: a variety of oral conditions can cause bad breath, such as tonsillitis, sinus infections, metabolic disorders, and gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD)

Ways to manage bad breath

Here are some ways you can reduce bad breath:

Better dental habits

Reducing the number of bacteria in your mouth will help reduce halitosis, so improving dental hygiene is paramount. Rinsing and gargling with mouthwash is a good step, but it will work best with increasing your brushing and flossing.

Drink plenty of water

This is another way to help clear particles and other substances that collect while eating. Water isn’t filled with additives and other things that may damage teeth. It also helps with dry mouth to ensure more saliva production.

Food and drinks

Several foods and drinks can help fight bad bacteria to improve the smell of breath, such as parsley, fennel, anise seeds, oranges, apples, yogurt, pineapple juice, milk, and green tea. 

Homemade mouthwash

Making mouthwash at home with either baking soda or vinegar reduces halitosis in different ways. Baking soda kills bad mouth bacteria, while vinegar reduces bacterial growth. Two teaspoons to one cup of water for baking soda per serving, and two tablespoons of vinegar to one cup of water per serving for the respective recipes.

Taking care of your breath is essential, and there are ways to reduce halitosis and keep your mouth healthier. If you’re having problems with bad breath or other dental issues, make an appointment with Dr. Kravets and All Bright Dental today to get treatment.