Bad breath? Keep brushing and flossing and it still isn't getting better? Watch today's Tuesday Tooth Talk to hear from Dr. Kuiper why your bad breath won't go away, and what to do about it!

Bad breath can be caused by a few different things: poor oral hygiene, tartar buildup, and smoking or tobacco use. The tartar buildup is basically a petri dish for bacteria which causes the odor causing molecules in your mouth. When you breathe those out, people are actually smelling the bacteria in your mouth! We highly recommend coming in for a professional cleaning which will make a tremendous difference in the amount of odor you’re experiencing. 

Smoking or using tobacco decreases the amount of saliva that you have in your mouth. That means there is less saliva to keep the mouth clean so bacteria have more time to grow and develop a potent smell! In order to prevent the smell, we recommend getting a professional dental cleaning. At that time, we are also able to check the gum tissues to make sure everything looks healthy. Additionally, reducing or eliminating tobacco use will help tremendously with reducing the bad breath. 

Another helpful recommendation is to increase fluid intake, a.k.a. drink more water! One additional way to increase saliva production is to incorporate xylitol containing products such as gum or mints. Xylitol, which we have discussed in a past Tuesday Tooth Talk, increases saliva flow and prevents buildup of bacteria on the teeth. It has great oral benefits, tastes just like any other mint product on the market, and can easily help you achieve better breath. 

If you haven’t been to the dentist in 10 years, these recommendations may not help much until a professional cleaning has been done! However, if you visit the dentist regularly and are still experiencing bad breath, give these suggestions a try!

We are always here to answer your questions! If you’d like to learn more about bad breath or how to get rid of it, give us a call today!

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