Stop Living With Bad Breath

Chronic bad breath, medically termed halitosis, is an embarrassing condition. Foul breath odor can cause you to avoid close conversations and even threaten your relationships and career. If your bad breath happens nearly every day or easily returns just minutes after brushing, it may be time to put down the peppermints and call your dentist for help. While halitosis can compromise your self-confidence, it can also be a warning sign that your oral health needs attention.

Why Does My Breath Smell Bad?

Chronic bad breath is more than just garlic breath after eating Italian. Persistent halitosis comes from underlying bacteria in the mouth and is only masked with “remedies” like peppermints, chewing gum and breath spray. When excess bacteria lingers in the mouth, it feeds and breeds on the sugars you consume. During this process, a foul-smelling sulfur compound is produced, which then creates that stubborn breath odor.

There are a number of dental health conditions that go hand in hand with bad breath because they are also caused by excess bacteria and plaque, including the following:

• Gum disease
• Severe decay
• Dental abscess
• Dry mouth

Eliminating Halitosis

The best and fastest way to remedy bad breath is to eliminate excess oral bacteria. This typically begins with brushing and flossing. If you are making the following dental hygiene mistakes, you are putting yourself at risk for halitosis:

• Not brushing for the full two minutes, twice a day
• Not flossing
• Not cleaning all surfaces of your tongue

If you’ve stepped up your dental hygiene game and still experience stinky breath, it may be time to let your dentist take a look. While a professional cleaning or deep cleaning can often reverse bad breath, there are times in which your dentist can detect decay, gum disease or an infection as the halitosis culprit. In such cases, you’ll need to treat the root cause of your bad breath and allow your dentist to restore health to your teeth and gums. A fresh and confident smile typically follows a healthy mouth!

Do you struggle in social situations due to your persistent breath odor? Whether you’ve been dealing with this condition for weeks or years, it is important to share your halitosis battle with your dentist. At Pure Smiles Dentistry, we offer comfortable and patient-centered dental care. We never want patients to feel embarrassed about their oral health condition, as we consider it our job to help you achieve the most confident smile possible. Call today to learn more about your halitosis treatment options in Marietta.