
Halitosis, or bad breath, affects everyone from time to time. If you have chronic bad breath—halitosis that lingers even after cleaning your teeth—this could be a sign of gum disease and it’s important to follow up with your dentist.
For those who have occasional bad breath, or if this is something new that you’re dealing with, here are quick tricks to stop bad breath in its tracks so you can get on with your day!
Floss
Flossing is an integral part of your oral care routine because it helps remove food particles, bacteria, and plaque from between your teeth and at your gumline. These are places where your toothbrush can’t fully reach. Without flossing, food particles and bacteria can build up between teeth and at the gumline, which can result in bad breath [1].
The good news is that by flossing regularly, you can remove these things that cause bad breath, and you can also keep your teeth and gums healthier! If you’re flossing for the first time in a while, don’t be alarmed if you see a bit of blood or if flossing is uncomfortable.
The more regularly you floss, the more comfortable it’ll be!
Use Mouthwash
If you have bad breath from eating garlic or another pungent food, mouthwash can help freshen your breath in a pinch. You can use mouthwash after brushing and flossing your teeth for the best effect, but you can also use it during the day to help improve your bad breath. Mouthwash has been shown to help reduce bad breath—choose a flavor such as peppermint for ultimate freshening power [2]!
Chew Gum
Sugarless gum has few important benefits for your oral cavity. It stimulates saliva production, which helps fight dry mouth, a potential cause of bad breath. However, it also increases saliva that can help strengthen teeth with nutrients such as calcium and phosphorus, which can potentially help prevent tooth decay.
It’s important to note that chewing gum won’t cure chronic bad breath, but it can help improve temporary bad breath. Choose sugarless gum with xylitol—an ingredient that’s been shown to reduce bacteria in the oral cavity—for the most benefits [3]!
Drink Water
Since dry mouth is often a cause of bad breath, drinking water can help replenish your saliva and reestablish balance among your oral bacteria. If you have bad breath and your mouth feels dry and sticky, it’s time to drink some water!
Drinking water helps clean your oral cavity by flushing away food particles and bacteria that can cause bad breath [4]. If you’re on certain medications that can cause dry mouth, follow up with your dentist to see what you can do to protect your smile from the effects of chronic dry mouth.
Bad Breath Is a Sign of Gum Disease!
If you have occasional bad breath, this is likely nothing to worry about. However, if your bad breath is persistent, it’s important to check in with your dentist, as bad breath can be a sign of gum disease. In the meantime, try some of the above tricks to freshen your breath!
Sources:
1. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bad-breath/diagnosis-treatment/drc-
20350925
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3894100/
3. https://vitalrecord.tamhsc.edu/does-gum-cure-bad-breath/
4. https://middlesexhealth.org/learning-center/health-tips/bad-breath-drink-more-water

