5 common causes and treatments for bad breath

No one wants to sit around someone with a smelly breath. Stinky breath makes you unattractive, and it also indicates the growth of dental diseases. The reason for bad breath can be poor dental hygiene or some ingrowing disease.

Having a bad breath is called halitosis. You can temporarily get rid of bad breath by cleaning your mouth but if the reason for your bad breath is decay, cavity, or infection, you will need professional treatment. A chronic bad odor in your breath indicates that the reason for your bad breath is a disease.

Bad breath is a symptom of many dental diseases like rotting teeth, decay, and gum diseases. That is why professional treatment is needed if your smelly breath is not going away with brushing and flossing. 5 major causes of bad breath and their treatments are given below.

5 major causes of smelly breath and their treatments

1. Poor oral hygiene

If you don’t brush and floss daily, food gets stuck between your teeth and starts decaying. The decaying of this food produces a stinky breath. The bacteria responsible for the decaying of the food can also decay your teeth and cause cavities.

So, you should brush and floss your teeth daily to keep them clean. Always remember to scrape your tongue and keep it clean. Your tongue is a great place for the growth of bacteria that produce bad smell.

2. Decay and cavity

The toxins released from the decaying material and the bacteria erode the enamel of your teeth. After some time, the teeth starts decaying and these decay get bigger and cause cavities. The rotting teeth, cavities and food in your mouth together produces a foul smell. This foul smell makes your breath stink.

The growth of decay and cavities in your mouth can be prevented by regular brushing, flossing, and dental check-ups. Keep your teeth clean and get them checked regularly to detect any ingrowing diseases.

3. Dry mouth

Do you know why your mouth stinks when you wake up in the morning? The answer is lack of saliva. Saliva removes particles from your mouth that cause bad breath and keeps your mouth clean. That is why dry mouth causes stinky breath. The reasons for bad breath can be simple like lack of water, sleeping with mouth open, or sometimes a bit severe like improper functioning of salivary glands or some type of disease.

You can prevent bad breath by keeping your mouth wet. You should drink about 3 liters of water every day and not let the saliva in your mouth dry. If you still face chronic dry mouth, consult a dentist. If dry mouth is caused because of some disease, then it will need professional treatment.

4. Infections

Infections can be of various types like normal decays or some severe infections. Infections can be detected by stains on your teeth or gums. Infections are one of the most common reasons for bad breath.

The only way you can avoid infections is by maintaining good oral hygiene and getting regular dental check-ups. This will prevent infections from affecting your mouth and let you treat them early if they grow somehow.

5. Foods

Consumption of certain types of foods can cause bad breath. Foods like onion and garlic cause bad breath which doesn’t last long. Foods like these enter the bloodstreams of your mouth which result in a bad odor of your smell.

You can use this information to avoid bad breath on certain occasions. Try not to eat foods like onion, garlic, or white radish which cause bad breath before some important occasion.

It is common knowledge that having stinky breath affects your social life. People will try to avoid talking to you and you will feel disrespected from time to time. You can avoid things with oral hygiene and regular dental check-ups.

Regular brushing, flossing, and scraping your tongue will keep your mouth clean and regular dental checkups will prevent from diseases growing. Request an appointment at Westgate dental to make sure that no disease is growing in some corner of your mouth.