Bad Breath Treatment: Prevention and Dental Care Options

The team at Forney Family Dentistry & Orthodontics is pleased to offer the latest dental care treatments to help patients have healthy and beautiful smiles. This includes advanced cosmetic dentistry for aesthetic needs, restorative dentistry to improve overall dental health, and general care to address all sorts of common dental wellness issues. With this in mind, we'd like to turn our attention to bad breath and what can be done to address it.

Common Causes of Bad Breath

Some of the most common causes of bad breath include the following:

• Oral Bacteria - The most common cause of bad breath, this is the bacteria that naturally occurs inside of a person's mouth.
• Tobacco Products - Cigarettes, cigars, and chewing tobacco can all cause your breath to be unpleasant.
• Certain Foods - There are certain kinds of foods that can result in worse breath or more pungent. Some examples of these problem foods include garlic, onions, fish, and spicy foods.
• Certain Beverages - Drinks that dry out the mouth or leave behind distinct odors can also make breath worse. This includes alcoholic beverages and coffee.
• Dry Mouth - Dry mouth caused by various health issues can also lead to worse breath, particularly if the dry mouth is chronic and/or persistent.
• Tooth Decay and Gum Disease - Cases of tooth decay and gum disease often involve bad breath as a sign/symptom.
• Certain Kinds of General Health Problems - In addition to dental health issues, problems with the sinuses, throat, lungs, and digestive tract can also lead to bad breath. Keep this in mind if your bad breath is coupled with any other troubling symptoms.

Diagnosing the Cause of Bad Breath

In order to effectively treat bad breath, it's important for the cause of the bad breath to be identified and properly addressed. During your visit to the dentist, there will be a number of ways to note the exact cause of the bad breath. Sometimes all it takes is an open conversation with your dentist and some basic diagnostic tests to properly identify your problem.

Treating Bad Breath Related to Dental Health Issues

When bad breath is related to dental health matters such as tooth decay, gum disease, and dry mouth, restorative and general dentistry treatments can be performed in order to enhance overall dental health. The use of antiseptic rinses can be especially helpful to keep oral bacteria under control.

Treating Bad Breath Related to Systemic Conditions

When bad breath is linked to systemic health problems, your dentist will recommend that you see your general practitioner so the health issue can be properly addressed. The sooner that this is done, the better it is for the patient.

At-Home Care/Prevention Tips for Bad Breath

In order to treat bad breath at home and prevent it from being too severe, patients are advised to brush and floss regularly and to stay well hydrated throughout the day with water. Patients are also advised to avoid the use of tobacco products and to be careful when it comes to eating and drinking substances that are known to lead to bad breath.

Contact Forney Family Dentistry & Orthodontics

For more information about different treatment options for bad breath and other common dental problems, be sure to schedule a consultation at our cosmetic and restorative dentistry center today. The entire team at Forney Family Dentistry & Orthodontics will work closely with you to ensure that you achieve optimal dental health and wellness.

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