Got Bad Breath? Don’t Make These 5 Mistakes

Chronic bad breath, or halitosis, is an embarrassing condition. It can impact your relationships, your career and your overall self-esteem. Most importantly, bad breath can be a warning sign that your oral health needs attention.

Bad breath can be caused by a wide variety of things, including poor oral hygiene, untreated cavities, gum disease, an infection or dry mouth. It almost always begins with excessive bacteria in the mouth, which breeds on sugars we eat and produces a foul-smelling Sulphur compound in return.

Unfortunately, the attempts that you make to treat your bad breath could actually be making your halitosis worse. Effective and lasting halitosis treatment is found from your dentist, who will determine the root cause of your foul breath odor before initiating treatment.

Here are five common mistakes people make when they have bad breath:

Mistake #1 Using Peppermints

This can be surprising to some, but the frequent use of mints to freshen your mouth is only masking your bad breath temporarily. In the long run, it can actually contribute to more bad breath by increasing your risk for decay and giving oral bacteria more sugars to feed on.

Mistake #2 Not Flossing

One of the biggest drawbacks of not using dental floss on a daily basis is bad breath. Flossing cleans up to 35% of your tooth surfaces, so neglecting to perform this task only leaves more bacteria and food debris in your mouth to contribute to stinky breath.

Mistake #3 Not Brushing Your Tongue

Your tongue harbors more bacteria than you think. In fact, it is an ideal place for bacteria to live and breed. Many people can reverse their bad breath by simply brushing all surfaces of their tongue after they brush their teeth.

Mistake #4 Using Alcohol-based Mouthwash

Mouthwash is meant to freshen your breath, right? This can be true, but you’ll need to be careful about using an alcohol-based version. These types of mouthwashes can easily dry out the mouth, and low saliva is a major contributor to halitosis.

Mistake #5 Not Telling Your Dentist

We know that bad breath isn’t something you want to talk about. However, not telling your dentist about your problem could be a big mistake. At Laguna West Dental Care, we treat patients for halitosis on a routine basis. In many cases, it is a simple fix that can bring you invaluable confidence in your smile going forward.

Call Laguna West Dental today to schedule your appointment for halitosis treatment.