How fresh does your breath smell? If you notice a scent when you exhale, your first instinct may be to grab a mint or gum. Unfortunately, this is a temporary fix at best. In this blog, the trusted dentists at Porter Dental Health Clinic in Hot Springs, Arkansas discuss some of their best tips for maintaining odor-free breath throughout the day without the need for candy.
Adopt Smart Oral Hygiene Habits
By now, you know at least a dozen reasons why it is important to brush and floss every day, but here is one more: it can eliminate foul breath! Food particles trapped in your mouth breed bacteria, which turns into acid. This acid is smelly.
By brushing away the acid and removing it from the crevices between your teeth, you prevent your breath from emitting an unpleasant odor. If you have bad breath regularly, you may need to brush and floss more frequently. A tongue scraper can provide extra assistance by removing bacteria stuck on your tongue.
Drink Water
Staying hydrated helps your body function at its best, and it also can assist in washing bacteria from your teeth in the hours between your twice daily brushings. Our dentists recommend drinking a glass of water with every snack and meal for this very reason.
Another potential cause of bad breath is dry mouth. When your body has more water, it can produce more saliva, which is important for washing away odorous bacteria.
Reverse Gum Disease
For many people, bad breath is the direct consequence of gum disease, whether that be in early stages (gingivitis) or advanced stages (periodontitis). If your brushing and flossing efforts have been unsuccessful at eliminating your bad breath, this is a strong indication that you have bacteria trapped underneath your gumline.
Fortunately, this problem can be treated with procedures like scaling and root planing (a “deep cleaning” that gets beneath the gumline), or, in more advanced cases, laser surgery can help to shrink pockets in the gums and remove tartar from difficult to reach areas on the gums.
Talk About Periodontal Problems with a Top-Rated Dentist
While it may feel embarrassing to speak to someone about your bad breath, it is much more embarrassing to let this problem linger indefinitely. Dr. Lance Porter and Dr. Will Warren are professionals who have helped many patients to overcome periodontal issues that are associated with bad breath. To make an appointment to get your gums deep cleaned, please call (501) 624-2778 today.
