What Bad Breath Might Mean For Your General And Oral Health

Smelly breath can be very unpleasant for those around you, but might also indicate other problems too

Most of us will have had bad breath on occasion. Often this results from food that we have eaten, with garlic being a classic example. Although this can be unpleasant for people around us, it is harmless and will usually go once the effects have worn off.

Some instances of bad breath may be more of a concern though, especially if it persists, even with good oral health care.

In today’s Clocktower Dental, Implant & Facial Centre blog, we are going to take a look at what might be causing your bad breath and steps that you can take to prevent and reverse the problem.

Food related bad breath

As mentioned earlier, garlic can cause bad breath but it is not the only thing. Alcohol, coffee and smoking are also likely to make your breath smell; and in the case of smoking in particular, can cause serious harm too. If your breath smells, try cutting out food and drinks that can cause this and see if your breath freshens. If it doesn’t, there might be medical reasons for this.

Medical causes of bad breath

There are a number of medical problems that can have bad breath as a symptom. These include the following:

Kidney problems

Along with symptoms such as blood in the urine or frequent urination, poor kidney health can produce a ‘fishy’ type of odour on the breath. If you are feeling run down and have any of these symptoms, you should contact your GP for advice.

Reflux problems

Acid reflux and GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) causes stomach acids to rise up in the oesophagus. This can cause a sour taste in the mouth and sometimes a burning chest sensation. This problem can sometimes be controlled by changes in your diet and you should see your GP for advice.

Diabetes

Diabetes is becoming an increasing problem in the world and is often, though not always diet related. There is much advice available about how you can help yourself avoid this problem and is well worth following as diabetes can lead to other serious health issues. One possible sign that you might have diabetes is if your breath smells sweet. There are other reasons why this might be the case but if this continues you should have this checked by your doctor.

Gum disease

One of the most common reasons for persistent foul smelling breath is gum disease, especially when it reaches a more advanced stage. Although you may not notice it yourself, you may find that others try to keep their distance when talking to you. The good news is that bad breath caused by gum disease is largely avoidable with a bit of care. The following are some tips that our Epsom dentists have put together which should help you maintain fresh smelling breath.

Diligent brushing – This is the most basic step, and brushing your teeth for two minutes morning and evening, making sure to pay attention to your gums, is an essential step if you want to have fresh breath.

Flossing – Cleaning the areas between the teeth is essential for good oral care and, as this is an area where bacteria easily collect, adding flossing to your routine is an easy way to give your mouth health a boost.

Drink water – We sometimes use sugary and fizzy drinks to quench our thirst but these can lead to enamel erosion and tooth decay. Water will not only not do that but will also help us avoid a dry mouth. Bacteria love a warm, dry environment to multiply in so by drinking plenty of water, you are creating a moist environment that will help to keep this problem under control.

Smoking – Smoking is terrible for our health and affects many aspects. This includes your gum health. In addition to the smell of cigarette smoke on your breath, you are likely to suffer from poor gum health too; probably including smelly breath.

Dental hygienist – Seeing the hygienist at our Epsom dental clinic every six months or so is a great way to keep your gum health in the best possible condition. In addition to offering oral health advice to help you look after your teeth and gums better, you will receive a ‘scale and polish’, a professional cleaning that will remove a lot of hardened bacteria and minerals from the teeth and gum line and help you maintain good gum health.

If you are concerned about having bad breath, or indeed, if you have any other oral health issues; whilst many of the things above that you can do yourself will help greatly, your first step should be to have an oral health check at the Clocktower Dental, Implant & Facial Centre. There may be other causes of bad breath such as tooth decay. Having problems like this resolved and also a professional clean by our hygienist will put you on a good footing to start to maintain better oral health yourself.

To have fresher smelling breath, please call us for an appointment today on 01372 720136.