What Causes Bad Breath Even After Brushing?
Brushing the teeth after eating and flossing once a day can help keep gum disease away, but they’re often not sufficient methods for completely eliminating occasional bad breath. If you notice bad breath despite the fact that you brush and floss adequately and correctly, make sure you’re drinking plenty of water, as dehydration and dry mouth can cause bad breath. You may also want to use an alcohol-free antibacterial mouthwash to rinse and rebalance the oral cavity, and regular use of a tongue scraper effectively removes odor-causing bacteria and food particles that can otherwise coat the tongue and emit odor. Of course, reducing or eliminating the foods that cause bad breath can help you keep your breath fresh, and sugarless gum and mints may mask mild bad breath. If you’ve brushed, flossed, scraped, and rinsed, and your breath still smells bad, call your dentist. Sometimes, a professional cleaning itself eliminates halitosis, and, when that isn’t sufficient, a thorough checkup helps the dentist refer the patient to the proper specialist. Once the underlying cause of bad breath is successfully treated, the problem diminishes or disappears. This could mean treating gum disease, or it could mean treating a medical issue that affects the entire body. Regular dental checkups allow dentists to be the first line of defense against these conditions, making informed referrals based on the state of the breath and the oral tissues.
When halitosis is caused by gum disease, a thorough periodontal treatment aims to remove infected tissue and restore the integrity of healthy tissue. Removing bacterial plaque and tartar and scaling away dead tissue eliminates the source of odor caused by gum disease, and improved oral hygiene habits can help keep things that way. When bad breath is caused by smoking, quitting is the only solution. Dry mouth is also a common component of halitosis and can be addressed by staying hydrated and using artificial saliva as needed. Other sources of halitosis can indicate illness that lies elsewhere in the body; for example, sinus infections are a common cause of bad breath, trapping smelly bacteria in mucus that emits the odor of disease from narrow, inflamed passages connected to the respiratory system. Chronic vomiting can also cause bad breath and should be addressed on a case-by-case basis, considering the cause and duration, and in discussion with the patient. If you notice the stinging feeling of heartburn and a sour taste in your mouth, you could have GERD, a disorder that allows partly digested food to re-enter the esophagus after it’s been in the stomach. In some of these cases, bad breath can be eliminated with over-the-counter medication, while in other cases, more involved or invasive treatments may be needed to eliminate the symptom that is bad breath.
In other cases, halitosis emanates from deeper in the body. Bad breath can indicate a bowel obstruction, especially when the breath smells distinctly like poop. In addition to bad breath, bowel obstruction can cause nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, severe bloating and cramping, constipation, and the inability to pass gas. Another condition that contributes to bad breath is ketoacidosis, which could appear in people who follow an extremely low-carb diet but is otherwise specific to people with diabetes. Ketoacidosis is often characterized by fruity-smelling breath, excessive thirst and urination, nausea and abdominal pain, dry mouth, and confusion. Other conditions that can affect the breath include liver disease, kidney disease, and certain rare metabolic disorders. In all cases, these conditions are connected to far more than just the breath and require prompt medical attention. With thorough oral hygiene, temporary halitosis can be kept in check, and with regular dental and medical checkups, it’s possible to intercept the underlying illnesses that can lead to chronic bad breath and improve not only the breath but also the overall patient's health.