pic

Don’t Let Bad Breath Ruin Your Valentine’s Day Date

Feb 08, 2018
Don’t Let Bad Breath Ruin Your Valentine’s Day Date
Have you ever experienced breath so bad you can almost taste it? Have you witnessed the look on someone’s face as you’re talking to them and they realize how bad your breath smells?

Have you ever experienced breath so bad you can almost taste it? Have you witnessed the look on someone’s face as you’re talking to them and they realize how bad your breath smells?

Don’t worry, there are quite a few things that could be contributing to the stench. At First Dental Associates we can help you get to the root of the problem and treat the condition so your breath smells fresher than ever.

Causes Of Bad Breath

There are many factors that play a role in just how much your breath stinks. If you’ve noticed your breath has been particularly bad lately or just won’t seem to go away, it’s important to try to narrow down the cause. The most common causes of bad breath include:

  • Food

When food particles start to break down in your mouth, they cause an increase in bacteria. That bacteria is responsible for the foul odor that you or others recognize as bad breath. Certain foods cause more of a stench than others. Foods like onion and garlic get into your bloodstream as they’re being digested and are carried to your lungs before being expelled as bad breath.

  • Tobacco

When you smoke or use tobacco products, you’ll experience an unpleasant mouth odor that both you and others will notice. Additionally, smokers and tobacco users are at a higher risk for gum disease which can also cause bad breath.

  • Poor dental hygiene

This one shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, but a lack of proper oral hygiene can also contribute to bad breath. If you fail to brush and floss daily, food particles linger in your mouth and cause bad breath.

Over time, a colorless film of bacteria known as plaque builds up on your teeth. If the film isn’t brushed away, it can start to irritate your gums and eventually lead to pockets between your gums and teeth, known as periodontitis.

  • Dry mouth

Saliva helps keep your mouth clean by removing the particles that cause bad breath. A condition known as xerostomia or dry mouth can cause bad breath because less saliva is being produced.

Dry mouth can also happen naturally while you sleep, causing “morning breath” which is worsened when you sleep with your mouth open.

Chronic dry mouth could be the result of a salivary gland issue or some disease so be sure to mention your dry mouth during your next dental checkup.

  • Medications

Some medications may cause dry mouth which contributes to bad breath, while other medications are broken down in the body and release chemicals that can cause your breath to stink.

  • Mouth infections

If you have an infection in your mouth after oral surgery or as the result of tooth decay, mouth sores, or gum disease, you may experience bad breath.

  • Additional cause of bad breath

Bad breath can also be caused by small, bacteria-covered stones that form on your tonsils or post-nasal drip caused by an infection or inflammation of the nose, throat, or sinuses.

Additionally, some disease like cancer or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can contribute to bad breath.

Bad Breath Treatment & Prevention

The best thing you can do in the fight against bad breath is practice good oral hygiene. Additional treatment may be necessary depending on the specific cause of your bad breath, but in most causes a thorough cleaning and continued, proper maintenance will get the job done.

When you visit First Dental Associates for a checkup and cleaning, we’ll get to the root of the problem to determine the cause of your bad breath. If we believe it’s the result of an underlying health condition, we may refer you to your primary care doctor.

That being said, there’s a good chance we can work with you to diagnose and treat your bad breath. Most likely, we will recommend one or more dental measure to treat the stench and maintain fresh breath.

There’s a good chance you’ll see a dramatic improvement once you start the regular use of mouth rinses and toothpastes that contain antibacterial agents. Both will help get rid of the bacteria that has built up in your mouth.

If your condition is the result of gum disease, we’ll conduct a full gum disease treatment to get your mouth back in the healthy condition it should be in.

Treat The Stench: Call Us Today

Don’t go another day with breath so bad you don’t want to open your mouth. Call First Dental Associates at 781-384-6971 to schedule an appointment. You can also contact us online to request an appointment and we will get back to you as soon as possible.