Many adults struggle with bad breath at least once in their life, so the first thing you need to remember about this issue is that it’s really common. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about if you’ve recently been struggling with bad breath. It’s usually a matter of oral hygiene, diet, or a mix of the two, and can be easily corrected.
In this article, we at Shine Dental Care will show you some common causes for bad breath, and also how you can fix them.
1. Coffee or tea.
We understand that you can’t really get the day going without your morning cuppa, but the trouble is, both tea and coffee have strong scents attached to them that linger on your breath long after you’ve finished your breakfast.
They also dry out the mouth, reducing saliva, and thus making the mouth itself more odorous.
What can you do? You can try removing coffee and tea from your diet, or if that’s an option, make sure you brush your teeth thoroughly before your morning cuppa, and drink plenty of water to replenish fluids.
2. Poor oral hygiene.
It stands to reason that when you skip out on regular brushing and flossing, your dental health will suffer. You see, the main concern with brushing and flossing is removing food particles. When these accumulate inside the mouth, they can cause a sharp, decaying odor.
However, that’s the least of your concerns with poor oral hygiene, since accumulation of bacteria can cause plaque, and periodontitis (gum disease). The solution? Make sure you religiously brush and floss!
3. Alcoholic beverages.
As with tea and coffee earlier, alcohol has a similar drying effect, since it’s high in sulphite content. By drying out your mouth, alcohol creates an ideal environment for bacteria which, as we just saw, can lead to way worse problems.
What you can do is make sure to drink plenty of water when you drink alcohol, to balance your liquid intake. As a bonus, drinking water also ensures you get less drunk (or at least, more slowly), so double win!
4. Onions and garlic.
Garlic and onions are perhaps the most popular causes for bad breath, and this happens for a very interesting reason. Both garlic and onions contain sulphurous compounds that can enter the bloodstream, and that way, pierce the lungs. This is why both onion and garlic linger on the breath for hours, and sometimes even days, after you’ve consumed it.
Because of this deep penetration, rinsing the mouth and cleaning the teeth doesn’t really get the job done anymore.
5. Oral infection.
Lastly, another cause for bad breath is infection inside your mouth. This can occur after a visit to the dentist, when oral surgery or intervention becomes infected, but it can also be the result of a dental issue. The only way to fix this is to visit your dental professional, which is what we at Shine Dental Care recommend if bad breath persists for more than a few days – it may be a sign of a more serious dental issue!