If you find that you have bad breath almost all the time, even after brushing or using
mouthwash, something else is likely going on that needs to be addressed. What could chronic bad breath mean? Here’s what might be affecting your smile and why you should get it checked out.

You Could Have Gum Disease

Gum disease is often the culprit behind chronic bad breath. This is because the infection that’s present beneath your gumline can’t be removed with regular brushing and flossing. This will create either a bad taste in your mouth or a foul odor, or both. In addition to this symptom, you might also see blood when brushing or have tender gum tissue.

Since gum disease can lead to tooth loss over time, it’s crucial that you get this checked out by a dentist. Catching gum disease early can help you avoid intensive treatment and may just save your smile—and alleviate your chronic bad breath!

You May Be Dehydrated

If you’re not drinking enough fluid throughout the day, you could be dehydrated. Consider your daily fluid intake. If you’re drinking fluids that will ultimately dehydrate you, including coffee, alcohol, and caffeinated teas, you could be contributing to your chronic bad breath and not even realize it!

While it’s fine to have these beverages, you should be sure to drink plenty of water as well. For every drink with caffeine or alcohol in it, have a glass of water. This will help balance the dehydrating effect these drinks can have on your body and your mouth. Water can restore your bacteria balance and help stop bad breath.

You Could Have an Underlying Illness

There are certain illnesses where bad breath is a sign. These include liver or kidney disease, renal failure, diabetes, asthma, and even throat cancer. There’s no way to know what your bad breath is telling you without getting evaluated by a physician. Your first stop should be the dentist’s office to ensure you don’t have tooth decay or gum disease or exhibit any signs of oral cancer.

If none of these things are present, it’s time to see your doctor to see exactly what your bad breath is trying to tell you. If your bad breath remains without a cause, don’t ignore it. Getting this symptom checked out might just save your life!

When it comes to halitosis, you should absolutely see a professional to determine what’s causing the problem. If increasing your fluid intake doesn’t help, you should see a dentist to evaluate your smile and then a physician to ensure there’s nothing else going on. Don’t let chronic bad breath impact your life—you can determine the cause and stop this embarrassing problem once and for all!

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Follow these tips to fight bad breath—on the go!

Stimulate Saliva Production with Gum or Snacks

Sugar-free gum is easy to store and transport, so keep a spare pack in your car or at yor desk for those times you forget to brush or feel a little anxious about your post-lunch breath. Mint-flavored gum can provide added freshness! Chewing gum will help to stimulate saliva production and make your breath fresh! Saliva is so important for our teeth and gums. Keeping your saliva production normal is important to fight that bad bacteria that bring bad breath.

If you’re not a fan of gum, you can achieve the same effect with healthy snacks such as carrots, apples, and celery. These firm veggies and fruits can help rehydrate you and actually act as little scrubbers on your teeth to remove plaque and increase saliva. Best of all, you’ll get added fiber and nutrients from these snacks to keep you well nourished throughout the day.

Keep Teeth Wipes and Mini Brushes with You

Teeth wipes are cloth-like mitts that fit over your forefinger that can help “brush” your teeth when you’re on the go. These are perfect emergency back-ups for those times you forget to brush. You may also opt to keep a mini toothbrush with you. Although you won’t always be able to get to a restroom, there will be times when you can stop in for a quick brush with a travel-sized tube of toothpaste and a mini brush or teeth wipes.

Chew Herbs

Herbs have many different health benefits, but did you know that they’re also great for freshening up bad breath? Herbs such as mint, rosemary, and even sage and parsley can help freshen breath in a matter of seconds. Chewing these leaves will also boost saliva in your mouth. If you have a garden with herbs or if you happen to get a sprig of parsley on your plate with dinner, don’t hesitate to pop it into your mouth for fresher breath!

Drink Water or Tea

Bad breath tends to come at times when your mouth is feeling dry—another reason to stay hydrated! Drinking water or herbal tea can help to rehydrate you and re-establish the balance of good and bad bacteria in your mouth. When trying to fight bad breath on the go, keep a bottle of water with you and sip. This is not only great for your body, but for your breath too.

Fighting bad breath on the go is easy if you’re prepared and have the right tools. Keep mini brushes and a bottle of water with you. Pack carrots and apples for a snack. Pick some fresh herbs on your way to work when you just didn’t have time to brush. Fresh breath is closer than you think!

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When we eat, especially sugary foods, the sugars become acids on our teeth. Acids wear down tooth enamel. For about half an hour after eating a meal, your teeth are in a weakened state from the acids. Tooth enamel remineralizes or hardens during this time, but brushing while it’s trying to build itself back up can just cause more damage.

Brushing to remove food particles and bacteria twice a day is important to reduce the risk of gum disease, but as long as you are brushing at least two times every day and avoiding brushing within half an hour of eating, you can brush whenever it is convenient for you. Some people don’t like to brush before a meal because the minty taste of the toothpaste interferes with the taste of their food. Toothpaste can also make food taste bad because it contains sodium laureth sulfate. This ingredient is responsible for the foaming action of toothpaste in the mouth; it is the same ingredient that makes shampoo lather up. Toothpaste does not need SLS to work, so using a brand of toothpaste that does not contain SLS can make eating after brushing more pleasing.

If you do choose to brush before eating, you can help to eliminate food particles and bacteria with a mouth rinse after the meal. Chewing sugarless gum after meals can also stimulate saliva, which helps to wash away acids.

Remember that plaque builds up throughout the day, and at night when we sleep. This is the reason most people experience “morning breath,” and this is another reason that brushing before breakfast is beneficial. A good morning routine could be to brush, eat, and then rinse with mouthwash. If you really prefer to brush after eating, try to wait half an hour or at least 20 minutes. You should also always use fluoride toothpaste no matter when you brush, to keep your tooth enamel strong.

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Bad breath caused by foods like garlic or beverages like coffee is temporary, but chronic bad breath is a problem that needs treatment and not just a cover-up. Halitosis, the proper term for bad breath, is caused by bacteria on the teeth and gums. Chronic bad breath could be a sign of gum disease.

Most mouthwashes contain ingredients that fight bacteria. When choosing a mouthwash, look carefully at the claims on the label, and then look for the ADA seal. The ADA (American Dental Association) seal means that the ADA has agreed that the mouthwash does what it claims to do. Mouthwash labels may use phrases like tartar control or plaque fighting. Without the ADA seal, these claims may not be valid.

Mouthwash may also contain fluoride. You should be using fluoride toothpaste twice a day to brush your teeth, but a fluoride mouthwash may also be recommended. Fluoride strengthens tooth enamel and helps to prevent cavities and tooth decay.

Breath mints and mint chewing gums are not actually harmful as long as they contain no sugar. Chewing gum can actually help your teeth by promoting saliva production, which helps to wash away acids from foods. Chewing sugarless gum after meals is actually a good habit, but if you are using gum or mints constantly to fight bad breath, you should see the dentist.

Gum disease and tooth decay will cause bad breath that keeps coming back no matter how much mouthwash you use. Getting these problems treated will eliminate chronic bad breath, save your teeth and prevent toothache, bleeding gums and other oral health problems. You can keep normal, food-related bad breath in check and fight bacteria by using ADA approved mouthwash as part of your daily oral hygiene routine.

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Crunchy foods

Crunchy fruits or vegetables can help to remove food particles that are stuck to your teeth. If you’re still looking for something to munch on after eating, an apple or some celery sticks could help to neutralize your breath.

Dairy products

Dairy products can neutralize acids that cause bad breath. A piece of cheese or some unsweetened yogurt at the end of a meal can improve your breath, and give you calcium that’s good for your oral health. Eating yogurt regularly may even help improve your breath on a regular basis.

Sugarless gum

Sugarless gum is not only better for your teeth than gum that contains sugar, it actually may be better for your teeth than not chewing gum at all. That’s because the chewing action stimulates saliva production, and saliva washes away acids in your mouth. This can improve your breath and reduce bacteria. Mint-flavored gum may be the top choice for masking bad breath, but cinnamon gum may actually do a better job of conquering bad breath, due to a chemical in cinnamon flavoring that can actually reduce bacteria.

Tea

Strange as it may sound, black tea can actually reduce bad breath. Compounds in black tea can inhibit the growth of mouth bacteria that cause bad breath. Tea can also leave an odor on your breath, so limit your intake and opt for decaffeinated tea for less negative breath affects.

Water

Simply drinking water after a meal can wash away food particles and acids. This is good for your oral health, and your breath.

Some other foods that may quickly freshen your breath are lemon, cranberries, pineapple and parsley. Remember that good oral hygiene and regular dental checkups are the best way to keep your mouth healthy and your breath fresh.

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The majority of breath mints are high in sugar. Sugar does not actually hurt the teeth or gums directly, but it feeds bacteria, allowing the harmful bacteria to breed. This is why dentists recommend sugar-free gum, but with breath mints, there are not many sugar-free options available. Many brands of breath mints are composed of sugar more than any other ingredient. Even sugar-free breath mints, when they can be found, have no ability to actually remove the bacteria that causes bad breath in the first place. The minty flavor and scent merely conceals bad breath for a short period of time.

Some alternatives to using breath mints to temporarily eliminate bad breath include chewing sugar-free gum. The chewing action increases the production of saliva, which can help to wash away food particles after eating. Disposable toothbrushes that don’t need water are another alternative. Bottled breath sprays, like mints, are a temporary cover that may contain sugar and do no particular good for your teeth or gums.

While sugar-free gum or disposable toothbrushes are safe and reasonably effective at concealing bad breath, if you find yourself reaching for them frequently, it may indicate that you have a problem that needs to be treated. Chronic bad breath, called halitosis, is a sign of a problem with bacteria and possible gum disease. Even if you don’t have gum disease yet, if you have chronic halitosis, it is likely that you have enough bad bacteria in your mouth that you are likely to get gum disease. The sooner you get the problem treated, the easier the treatment is. Gum disease caught in its early stages is easily reversible, and getting rid of it will not only help your gums and teeth, but it will help your problem with bad breath as well.

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