No one likes to hear that they have bad breath (aka halitosis). It can be embarrassing for you and tough on the people around you. Thankfully, bad breath can usually be remedied in most cases.

Do You Have Bad Breath?

Bad breath is primarily caused by a buildup of bacteria present in the mouth that leads to the release of noxious odors and inflammation. Everyone suffers from bad breath occasionally. If you think you’re exempt, smell your breath when you wake up tomorrow morning, then continue reading this post.

What Really Causes Bad Breath?

There are no statistics on the percentage of the population which has bad breath. However, what we know is that 80% of the bad breath comes from an oral source. For example, gum disease or cavities can lead to bad breath just like tonsils that have trapped food particles and cracked fillings.

In some cases internal medical conditions can be the underlying cause. These conditions include liver disease, diabetes, chronic bronchitis, and respiratory infections. You may even want to visit the doctor to rule things out like postnasal drip, acid reflux, and any other causes for dry mouth. You may have immaculate teeth but it could be one of these conditions causing the bad breath.

How to Get Rid of Bad Breath

You know the drill: always brush your teeth and never delay a dentist’s appointment. It is important to see your dentist once a year or every six months. Good oral hygiene is absolutely essential to fighting bad breath. In an ideal world, you should be brushing and flossing your teeth after every meal so as to cut down the bacteria in your mouth.

A regular toothbrush works fine if you use it like it is recommended; however, you could do better by making use an electric toothbrush. Why? Electric toothbrushes have timers on them which prompt users to brush their teeth for the right length of time. They also clean in a uniform motion, which helps to get rid of plaque more efficiently as compared to standard manual toothbrushes.

Do You Need Dietary Changes?

What you eat has a great impact on what you are exhaling. This is because food is digested and absorbed into your bloodstream, and then expelled by the lungs every time you breathe.

Therefore, it is important that you keep to a healthy and balanced diet along with regular meals. Also, people who go on special diets like the one with low carbohydrates, this can give you bad smelling breath too.

Get rid of bad breath by taking into consideration the pointers above. Make sure that you eat right, change tooth brushes on a regular basis, and most importantly, stop putting off that visit to the dentist office!