
Do you suffer from chronic bad breath?
Chronic bad breath, or “halitosis,” can be hard to remedy. We have 6 tips to help make and keep your breath fresh!

1. Practice Good Regular Oral Hygiene
Brushing and flossing remove plaque and food particles helping to ensure that your mouth remains clean. Additionally, regular brushing and flossing reduce the potential of tooth decay and gum disease. Dental infections can result from decay and gum inflammation which, like other bacterial infections, may cause unpleasant odors.
Use a tongue scraper. Anaerobic oral bacteria regularly rest on the tongue. Since these microbes are the main contributors to bad breath cleaning the tongue appropriately can be a significant step in eluding halitosis. Bacteria, bacterial byproducts, and plaque are removed as a tongue scraper scrapes across the surface of your tongue.
2. Use Antibacterial Mouthwash
The odor connected with morning breath often comes from volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) which are deposited by anaerobic bacteria that live in your mouth. As the amount of the bacteria decrease, your breath improves.
Antibacterial mouthwash destroys the microbes in your mouth. Since mouthwash is liquid it can easily reach the various cracks and crevices inside your oral cavity, including on the tongue.
Many types of antibacterial mouthwash contain an active ingredient called chlorhexidine, while others include alcohol as the antimicrobial agent. Most people are unaware that alcohol, including the type found in alcohol-based mouthwash, dries out the tissues within your mouth, leading to bad breath. To avoid drying out your mouth select an alcohol-free mouthwash for longer-lasting fresh breath.
To ensure that you use the mouthwash regularly, just add it to the end of your morning and evening brushing and flossing routines!
3. Stay Hydrated
Drinking inadequate amounts of water can also affect the smell of your breath. Water is needed to provide liquid for sufficient saliva production.
4. Rinse with Water After Meals and Snacks
Rinse with water immediately after eating to ensure that leftover debris is removed. Rinsing with water also helps neutralize acids within your mouth to help protect the health of your teeth and gums.
5. Chew *Sugar-Free* Gum
Chewing *sugar-free* gum containing xylitol, which is a sweetener in some sugarless gum and acknowledged for its antibacterial characteristics, can promote better breath and assist in limiting the amount of odor-causing bacteria in your mouth.
Chewing cinnamon-flavored gum gives the mouth a pleasant cinnamon smell. It can also help regulate the oral bacteria within your mouth due to the antibacterial attributes of cinnamaldehyde, an active ingredient in cinnamon-flavored gum.
In fact, even the actual mechanical action of chewing on a piece of gum can help with reducing bad breath by removing particles of food stuck against and in-between your teeth.
6. Stop Smoking
The nicotine contained in tobacco can constrict your mouth’s blood vessels, reducing the amount of saliva produced, resulting in the bad breath that is frequently associated with smokers. After someone quits smoking blood flow and saliva production should stabilize.
If you suffer from chronic bad breath, let the Larson Creek Dental team help!
During your routine dental appointment, we can provide preventive dental services such as professional cleaning by a certified dental hygienist, which will remove built-up tartar making it so that plaque and oral bacteria can no longer hide in its pores. In addition, the hygienist can assess and treat gum health issues that can contribute to bad breath. Dr. Brent Hale can also provide restorative dental care to remedy any issues, including the removal of odor-causing decay.