WHAT CAUSES BAD BREATH?
Do you get nervous whenever you don’t use a mouth spray before speaking to other people? Bad breath can make you embarrassed amid other people. Well, it is time to visit Greater Houston Dental for a dental examination and dental treatments to get rid of bad breath. First, let’s see all there is to bad breaths.
Bad breath, also known as “halitosis,” is an oral problem that could arise due to bad oral health hygiene, lifestyle choices, health conditions, and other factors. However, there are ways you can reduce your risks of developing a bad breath. Also, your dentist can help with treatments and valuable tips for preventing halitosis.
CAUSES OF BAD BREATH
Various factors can cause bad breath. Many people who have breath do not realize it until they are told by others or through a dental examination. The causes of bad breath include the following:
- Poor Dental Hygiene: Brushing and flossing our teeth twice every day is the least we can do to clean our dental structure. There are other ways that we can also enhance our dental health. The following listed below are other tips to help you be at the top of your dental health routine.
- Use mouthwash after every meal to wash out food leftovers.
- Pay regular visits to the dentist for dental examinations and dental cleanings. Of course, our toothbrushes cannot eliminate all the debris inside our mouths. Dentists have various tools that they can use to conduct a thorough dental cleaning. They would clean every dental structure area, including the teeth, gums, tongue, roof of the mouth, spaces between the teeth, and other parts of the oral cavity.
- Always change your toothbrush after three months. That is because the toothbrush bristles can get weak and ineffective after some time, thereby being unable to clean your teeth properly. You can also get brushing tips from a dentist near you.
- Ensure to clean your dental restorations (dental bridges, dentures, aligners, etc.) thoroughly every day to prevent plaque accumulation.
- Food: There’s no doubt we need food for good health. However, food particles can harm our teeth’ structure if they get stuck in some crevice. That is because harmful bacteria can act on these food particles to release toxic substances. Furthermore, some foods can cause foul odor inside the mouth. Foods like onions, spices, cheese, and garlic can cause bad breath after taking them. You can reduce the effects of these foods on your breath by brushing or using a mouth wash after taking them.
- Cigarettes/Tobacco: Asides from being vulnerable to various dental and health illnesses due to smoking, you can suffer from bad breath as well. Also, smokers have higher chances of developing gum infections, another factor of halitosis.
- Medications: Some kinds of drugs or medication can cause bad breath. These include antidepressants, antihistamines, and others. Also, some can cause bad breath after being digested into our system by releasing substances that we have to eliminate through our breath.
- Dry Mouth: People suffering from less saliva production (xerostomia) are likely to develop bad breath. When there is not enough saliva to cleanse the mouth frequently and keep it hydrated, the mouth would get dry and release foul odors.
There are also natural causes of dry mouth. When you don’t open your mouth for a long time, it can produce a foul smell later. That is what happens when we are asleep. Of course, it’s nothing brushing your teeth can’t handle. Also, endeavor to drink plenty of water to keep our mouth hydrated. Lastly, avoid alcohol intake. The ingredients used to produce alcohol can make the mouth dry, thereby leading to bad breath. You can always get bad breath treatment near you whenever you need it.
TREATMENT FOR HALITOSIS
Good oral hygiene remains one of the best ways to reduce halitosis. However, you can get Halitosis treatment in Houston if you need it. Our dentist in Houston can help with suitable dental treatments for halitosis.