Morning breath is one thing, but consistently stinky breath can put a damper on your day. Meeting the big executive soon and worried about that consistently bad breath? Perhaps your recent date didn’t find your breath as attractive as the rest of you. Don’t fret, fixing chronic bad breath comes down to understanding what the problem is from the get-go so that you can start breaking down the various causes and attack the problem tactically. So if your breath is causing your significant other to cringe in their sleep, it’s time to start figuring out how to cure your issue.
Recognizing Your Dental Hygiene Issues
While there are many potential causes of bad breath, the main reason generally tends to be bacteria in your mouth. There are, obviously, bad bacteria and good bacteria in your mouth, but too much buildup of either will cause areas of your mouth to inflame. Those parts that are suffering from inflammation will start to give off odors that will make your mouth smell more like your butt. In other words, they give off a sulfur like smell that will make anyone’s nose wrinkle. If your breath isn’t making your own nose wrinkle, you might be having trouble telling if your breath stinks. Like a bad outfit, sometimes someone else has to break the news to you about change, and bad breath often falls into this category. If you’re not sure if your bad breath is permeating the room, ask someone who’s near and dear to you. Your mother will almost certainly tell you, but if she’s not around, find your tough love friend but be ready for the backlash. Another easy way to tell if your mouth is a little on the funky side is via floss. Give your teeth a decent floss and sniff the floss afterward. If it stinks, so does your mouth. If you see blood on the floss you can safely guess that you are in need of some strong mint gum.
Combatting Your Bad Breath
Around 80% of bad breath is attributed to oral causes which is because the only other possibility is that you have a sour stomach or something seriously wrong with your internal organs. Mostly though, it’s just a cavity or lack of brushing that’s causing your mouth to smell like decay. It could be anything from your tonsils where they trapped some food particles, cracked fillings in your teeth or even gum disease. Sometimes getting your bad breath taken care of can be as easy as a quick dental diagnosis, other times it’s more complicated and could involve analysis of your acid reflux and various prescription medication trials to root out the source of your stinky breath.
Your Dental Appointments
Since most bad breath issues relate directly to your oral health, combatting stinky breath goes hand in hand with visiting your Missoula dentist on the regular. Keep your appointments at every 6 months — or at least once per year — to keep your oral health in check, so that your breath is manageable via some gum or a quick brush.
Fascinated by the way your breath can change due to bacteria and other health factors? Catch our next bad breath blog in our next post.
Contact Bitteroot Dental
Keep your dental visits regular and give us a call to get your next appointment on the books to avoid more serious health problems than some stinky breath.
