You might discover that your breath smells terrible (also known as halitosis) and be embarrassed about what other people might think. The Dentist Epping can reassure you – this is more common than you think, but still encourage you to visit us to discover its cause.
Your immediate thought might be that the garlic, onions, coffee, etc., you eat might be affecting the air you breathe out. However, there are many other potential causes.
A build-up of bacteria in your mouth can cause it. Many different types of bacteria live in your mouth, feed on the minute food particles left after you eat and produce a smelly by-product.
Having a dry mouth can also cause bad breath. Your saliva rinses out your mouth and –wonderfully – does that 24/7! A shortage of saliva hampers this cleansing and allows food particles and bacterial waste to build up. Mouth dryness can result from some medications, a problem salivary gland, or simply from mouth breathing, i.e., breathing in and out through your mouth instead of your nose.
Having gum disease can cause bad breath, but in this situation, you may also be aware of a bad taste in your mouth.
Smoking can be a culprit, too. Insidiously, it causes a host of oral and medical problems in addition to bad breath. However, it affects the smoker’s sense of smell and masks their awareness of their bad breath. It really is advisable to quit smoking.
If your Dentist Epping eliminates the above situations, you may have some medical condition producing bad breath, commonly sinus and lung infections, gastric reflux, diabetes, and kidney or liver disease. These, of course, need to be explored professionally, and we will strongly recommend you see your medical practitioner.
To ensure you don’t develop bad breath originating in your mouth, brush your teeth twice daily, floss them once daily, and visit us twice a year for an examination and professional clean. If you wear removable dentures, remove them at night and thoroughly clean them before re-inserting them in the morning.
Eating foods like apples and carrots that need a lot of chewing helps saliva production, as does sugar-free gum.
So don’t suffer in silence! Come to your Dentist Epping so we can find out why you have it and deal with it.
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