Some of your dental health’s most embarrassing moments may be visual, such as teeth stains or crooked teeth, but one of the most embarrassing is not something that you can see. Chronic bad breath, or halitosis, is a common condition that can indicate a number of different concerns, from poor hygiene to the presence of a tooth or periodontal infection. Most instances of bad breath can be resolved by brushing and flossing your teeth or rinsing with mouthwash. Yet, there are times
when bad breath doesn’t go away so easily, in which case you should visit your dentist to find out why and how you can eliminate it.
Facts About Chronic Bad Breath
Bad breath is caused many different things. If you eat an especially pungent meal with lots of garlic, for instance, your breath will likely reflect that for several hours afterward. When you wake up in the morning, you might often experience morning breath, which occurs when oral bacteria accumulate overnight as you sleep. Besides food, bacteria is the most common cause of bad breath, and keeping up with good hygiene and regular preventive dentistry is the best way to prevent it.
Your mouth holds over 600 different kinds of bacteria at any given moment, some of which are responsible for tooth decay and others for gum disease. The bacteria responsible for bad breath tend to gather on your tongue, so be sure to brush your tongue every time you brush your teeth.
Sometimes, as bacteria infect your tooth structure or erode your gum tissues, the presence of the dental disease can also lead to chronic bad breath as one of its many other symptoms. If you improve your hygiene routine and still find that your bad breath doesn’t go away, then you may have tooth decay or gum disease.
Learn More About Treating Chronic Bad Breath
If you have chronic bad breath that doesn’t go away easily, then visit your dentist to determine its cause and the best way for you to treat it. To learn more, schedule an appointment by calling Creekside Family Dental Care in Columbia, TN, today at (931) 388–3384.