What Causes Halitosis?

Also known as bad breath, halitosis is an embarrassing oral health condition. At Scenic Bluffs Dental in Prescott, Wisconsin, we are here to help our patients understand the underlying causes of halitosis and to explain how you can prevent it.

Unhealthy Diet

A poor diet can cause your breath to really stink. We all know about those foods–garlic, onions, coffee–that you should keep away from if you want fresh breath, but there are a number of other foods and drinks that can make your breath smell too. When you consume foods and drinks that are high in sugar and carbs, like soda, alcohol, chips and candy, the sugars stay on your teeth. Food particles left over in your mouth begin to smell and create bacteria. Eating fibrous foods like fruit and vegetables and drinking water with meals can help clean out your mouth and prevent it from starting to smell.

Poor Dental Hygiene

Not practicing regular dental hygiene is a sure fire way to get halitosis. A side effect of many oral health conditions is bad breath. It’s important to brush your teeth twice a day for two minutes each time with fluoride toothpaste and to floss at least once a day. By taking care of your oral health every day, you remove halitosis-causing food particles, bacteria, and plaque from your mouth. You should also be sure to brush your tongue because bacteria and food particles like to hang out there, too.

Smoking

If you are a smoker, there are many reasons why you should quit. Along with causing gum disease, staining your teeth, causing lung cancer, and more, tobacco leaves an unpleasant odor in your mouth so the odds are good that you also have bad breath.

Poor Health

Halitosis is also a symptom of a number of health conditions. These include diabetes, kidney and liver disease, sinus infections, respiratory tract infections, bronchitis, and gastritis. Do all you can to stay healthy by eating well, exercising, and getting plenty of rest.

Dry Mouth

Dry mouth is an oral health condition caused by reduced saliva production. This is dangerous for a healthy mouth because saliva cleans the mouth out by removing food particles and bacteria that cause bad odors. While dry mouth can be caused by issues with salivary glands and diseases, some people are naturally predisposed to dry mouth. You can help combat this condition by drinking a sufficient amount of water.

At Scenic Bluffs Dental we are happy to provide our patients with halitosis treatment so call our Prescott office today to schedule a consultation.