Bad Breath

Bad breath is a common problem that can affect anyone at any age

About one in four people are thought to have bad breath on a regular basis. The main cause of bad breath is a build-up of bacteria that breed inside your mouth, usually between teeth and on your tongue. As they multiple they can emit a bad smelling odour.

Persistent bad breath can sometimes be a sign of gum disease. Eating strongly flavoured foods, such as onions and garlic, can also cause your breath to smell, as can smoking and drinking alcohol.

Occasionally, bad breath can occur after an infection or illness, or as a result of taking certain types of medication.

Smoking and Bad Breath

Yes. Tobacco causes its own type of bad breath. The only answer in this case is to stop smoking. As well as making your breath smell, smoking causes staining and loss of taste, and irritates the gums. People who smoke are more likely to suffer from gum disease and have a greater risk of developing cancer of the mouth, lung cancer and heart disease. Ask your dentist, pharmacist or healthcare professional for help with stopping smoking. If you do stop smoking, but still have bad breath, then you need to see your dental team or doctor for advice.

Treating Bad Breath

Usually improving your oral hygiene routine is enough to stop bad breath in its tracks, but we have some additional top tips to keep your breath fresh.

Watch what you eat and drink – strong smelling foods and drinks can influence your breath, including garlic, onions and coffee. These can all exacerbate bad breath

Watch what you eat and drink – strong smelling foods and drinks can influence your breath, including garlic, onions and coffee. These can all exacerbate bad breath

Update your equipment – it is important to ensure that you change your toothbrush every 3 months or sooner if the bristles become worn so that it can effectively clean your teeth

Drink plenty – water stimulates your saliva glands, which cleanse your tongue and teeth of food debris throughout the day. This prevents the build-up of bacteria that contributes to bad breath

Quit smoking – smoking causes its own from of bad breath, your dentist will be able to advise you on ways to quit

Good oral hygiene – It is important to brush your teeth twice a day and clean interdentally daily

Don’t forget your tongue – the tongue is often neglected when it comes to your oral hygiene routine, using a tongue scraper can help to clean your tongue and tame the bad breath that it causes.

Attend for regular dental appointments – this will enable to dentist to see if there are any underlying problems causing your bad breath

Bad breath is one of life’s annoying little quirks. As unpleasant as it is, following these fresh breath tips will help ensure that your breath is always minty fresh.